Performance reviews. Whether you love them, hate them, or you would ditch them in an instant "if you were in charge," bottom line is that they are a reality in a day in life of most HR professionals, supervisors and employees.

Performance reviews involve forms, goals, expectations, objective - ok, subjective - ratings and sometimes pay increases and rewards. Every system is different, yet every system is the same in that one person is assessing the performance of another.

Listen to that again.

Regardless of the system, performance reviews come down to 2 people interacting with each other and the value of that interaction falls squarely on the shoulders of the supervisor, or rater.

After supervising and rating soldiers, junior officers, employees and students for over 25 years, you'd think I'd have this down to a science now, but I don't.

Each year, I am left with the feeling that I could have done more, I could have done it better. And each year I try something different. This year, I asked everyone these 3 questions and they were very well received:

How do you rate yourself? Not one person directly answered the question (stinkers!) but we had good conversations about how they see themselves in their role, thier challenges, and their interests.

What are you doing that I am not seeing? I know I don't see everything that people do each day to make this department work so this was an opportunity for each to tell me about problems they solved, customers they served, projects they finished and anything they were proud of.

What is happening in the department that I am not seeing? This was more for me than for anyone else but I wanted to know what happens that they wonder, "why doesn't she just freakin' do something about this?"

You are preaching to the choir when you begin to whine, "It's so Hard." I started this blog almost 6 years ago with the very same lament and I can tell you - it is what it is and it never gets easier.

So quit your whining and tell me, what are you doing, or what have you done, to increase the value of your interactions with your employees during performance reviews?

Photo credit: iStockphoto

At this point in the game, we know that social media is not about the tools. Cool as they can be, social media is not about the apps.

Social media is about connecting with people, truly connecting with people – one person at a time.

Connection = growth. No connection = stagnation.

Connection = friendships. No connection = acquaintances. Connection = impact and influence. No connection = just another voice in the crowd.

Connection = cheering friends on from the audience. No connection = offering support in 140 characters or less.

I have made some great friends through social media and when they are places that I am not - it makes me sad. Not sad in a boo-hoo kind of way but sad in a bummed-out I miss them kind of way.

Feeling sorry for me yet? Don't.

You can't miss what you never had and I am fortunate to be part of such a vibrant social community and to have many wonderful people in my life.

Who's sad? Not me. I am social media happy. Here's to creating opportunities for our paths to cross - and connect - again.

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3 Questions You Must Ask During a Performance Review

Lisa Rosendahl