Page 4 - The Leadership Line: Dec. 2020

HR Team Profile

Glenita (Nita) Mulcahy

The Human Resources Business Partner for the DC/Virginia based FED CIV Business Unit
is Glenita (Nita) Mulcahy. Nita joined MIL one and a half years ago. Her HR experience
includes working in federal contracting for the last 15 years.
Like her favorite author, Marcus Buckingham, Nita believes that you have an opportunity
every day to do what you do best. People should focus on their strengths – the areas of talent
where they can contribute the most – rather than worry about their weaknesses. Nita believes
that one of her strengths is building relationships within MIL in order to deliver value-added
service to management and employees.

Wellness Tip

Reducing Performance Review Related Anxiety

Stress is in the Air
No one looks forward to annual performance reviews. For employees, anxiety comes from the unknown: not knowing
how their manager feels about them, not knowing how their manager feels about their work, not knowing how they’re
contributing to the company’s mission.
For managers, anxiety also comes from the unknown: not knowing how to judge an employee’s performance over the
course of a year, during which time goals and responsibilities may have changed, and not knowing how an employee will
receive feedback.

Below are some ways to help reduce stress during annual performance reviews.
» Prepare Ahead of Time: Take time to think it through. Think about the employee’s
performance throughout the entire year. Prepare what will be discussed, have highlights noted
to make sure all strengths and weaknesses are discussed with thoughtful feedback.

» Remember the Purpose of the Review: The purpose of the performance review is to help
employees succeed as MIL employees. Maintaining a positive attitude throughout the review
shows the employee you are interested in their success.
» Make the Review a Conversation: Performance reviews should not be one sided. Talk to
your employees about what things went right and areas that can benefit from improvement.
Relax and focus on positive first, which can help set the tone for a positive review for both the
manager and employee.
» Set Concrete Goals: Work with your employee and set specific goals to help them achieve
success going forward. Clarity is very important, providing as many details as possible on how
to move forward with the goals.
» Listen: Allow each employee an opportunity to speak, listening intently to their feedback.
Before responding to employee questions or comments, think about your response to the
employee’s questions. Calmly discuss any differences, setting a positive review for both
employee and manager.
Make frequent conversations the rule, employees begin to fear them less because they know
that a conversation with their manager doesn’t automatically mean that something is wrong.