Nobody much likes performance evaluation systems. Managers find them unworkable and uncomfortable. Workers dread them. And lots of experts think we should scrap them altogether.

But for anybody who is a working manager you don't get much choice. You have got to do performance evaluations on your people using the system your organization has in place.

Start by understanding that you can find really two different issues that go by the name, "performance evaluation." One of those things is your organization's formal performance appraisal process.

Do whatever you must to deal with your organization's evaluation system. It is important to work with what ever system your organization has devised. Someday you may be able to change it, but not now. Devote your time and energy to making the system deliver good results.

But the formal system is only a division of the story. Usually the evaluation that happens there is like a report card. It's a summary judgment of performance that took place for a length of time.

Give notice should you have to start documenting behavior. Most of the time, your suggestion to change behavior or performance will be informal. That means you won't need to document. And much of the time your suggestion and coaching will result in improved behavior.

But sometimes you need to let folks know that they're not doing well enough. Whenever they keep doing what they are doing, you definitely will have to start documenting their behavior. Let them know before your start.

Then, if you need to document, do some things. Keep good records of the performance or behavior that you are tracking. Be specific about what happened, when and where.

Keep good records of your counseling meetings with your subordinate. What did you say? What did she or he say? How did you agree that things would change?

Making small course corrections on the way has a couple of advantages. First, small corrections are far simpler to make than big ones, so your odds of a successful outcome go up.

Second, by making small corrections and documenting your counsel and your subordinate's behavior, you have got the issue on the table. In the event the time arrives for formal performance evaluation, your subordinate will know where she or he has come up short. And you'll determine what they have got to say about how they are doing. No surprises.

Take enough time in the formal session. In one organization where I did research we compared the time that top supervisors dedicated to the yearly performance appraisal meeting to the time that other supervisors took. The top supervisors spent almost twice as long within the formal session as their less-effective peers.

Still, if there were not any surprises, what did they spend time on? They talked about growth and the future. That is more enjoyable and more productive than going over what did and did not happen since the last review.

Make agreements on what shall happen next. Be sure you leave the formal performance evaluation session with a clear plan for how your subordinate will develop throughout the next period and what you are going to do to help.

Set milestones for your agreements. Determine that will do what and what the deadlines are. Determine how performance should change.

Here is what to remember. The performance evaluation that makes an impact takes place every day, every time you encounter someone that works for you. If you take every opportunity to coach, counsel, encourage and correct your people, and if you document where you must, there will be no surprises at evaluation time. Then you can use the company evaluation time to help people grow and develop.