Leadership Academy 2013-14 LeadingAge New York Feb. 2014 | Page 31

John Schuster
Director of Admissions
Wartburg

Performance Appraisal Evaluation
1

How would you describe your Action Learning Project and the difference you hope it will make to
advance your organization’s mission (or the field) and benefit the individuals you serve?

After a great deal of change at my facility, I earned a new respect for the staff that does the work of caring for our residents every
day of their lives. To better acknowledge the hard work of the staff—and in the hope that it could be tied in new ways to overall
organizational performance—I am examining many different types and philosophies of employee performance appraisals.

2

How have the relationships you’ve developed as part of your project (with mentors, partners,
stakeholders, etc.) influenced this direction and you as a leader?

The relationships I’ve developed as part of this project have helped me immensely. Using colleagues and mentors as sounding boards
for new ideas is a great way to refine your focus. I have also found that it can sometimes push you in a new direction all together. I
believe I have incorporated many of the skills of the other leaders I have worked with into my own style and this project has helped
me realize that.

3

What have been important turning points for you, in your own learning, as you’ve engaged with
the action learning process (you might consider a surprise, insight, setback, or challenge)?

Performance appraisals in general can be a “hot button topic” and opinions vary on their usefulness. Correlating the often subjective
opinion of individual performance with objective organizational goals and benchmarks can be quite difficult. This has proven to be
both an insight challenge

4

How do you hope your project might unfold in the months and years ahead and what impact do
you hope it will have on the field at large?

In the months ahead it will be my goal to settle on a specific performance appraisal tool so that I might use it in my own department.
Should it turn out to be useful, the goal would be that it may be seen as something that could be used throughout the organization.

5

How has the action learning process in the context of the Leadership Academy experience
contributed to your growth as a leader?

My experience in the Leading Age Leadership Academy has been positive from start to finish. The Action Learning Project is an
opportunity to put many of the concepts I have learned into practice. Of course, the opportunity to lean on the other fellows and
coaches for their expertise and advice throughout the project has contributed greatly to my growth as a leader.

IGNITE Leadership Academy Action Learning Project 2013-14

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