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Job references are issued at the end of a work relationship.
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Sometimes in between, but normally at the end.
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They are usually a judgment of how well an employee has performed during the
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period after the work has been done.
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You are the judge, you evaluate their work and you write up
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your verdict in a reference.
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It makes it seem like the responsibility for an employee's performance would
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be totally theirs, not the leaders.
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This relationship changes dramatically when you write a job reference at
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the beginning of your relationship and keep it in your drawer.
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What would the ideal job reference for that employee look like if it turned
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out to become a perfect relationship?
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Really!
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Write your employee the best reference you can think of – only in advance.
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make it your responsibility that
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they live up to it, not theirs.
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Provide them with the environment and the support they need to thrive.
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Don't blame them if they don't deliver the results.
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Ask yourself, how you can support them better.
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It forces you to be more considerate about whom you hire.
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But more importantly, it forces you to do everything you can to get the
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optimum out of your relationship.
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And in that sense, when you finally write the real reference, the one that
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gets handed over, it's much more a verdict about your performance as a
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leader as it is about their performance.
