Evaluation leads to evolution.
Can the current team handle the job? What does it need to improve performance at work? You must identify the members of your team who need capacity building.

As a leader of an organization, you must understand that without training, there will be no manifestation. Just as one undergoes a health check-up, evaluation allows for a “check-up” of your organization. Through this process, you are able to truly identify the team members who add value to the organization.

Team evaluation takes place on two levels:
a) What works
b) What doesn’t work

God launched a great project titled the completion of the heavens and the earth, and all their host. Following the Holy Spirit’s observation in Genesis 1:2 of the damage caused by the kingdom of darkness, God decided to accelerate the execution of His project (ACTA): the completion of the heavens and the earth, and all their host. From Genesis 1:3–31 through Genesis 2:1, He completed this project.

“And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. God saw that the light was good… God called the light ‘day,’ and the darkness he called ‘night.’ And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.” (Genesis 1:3–5)

“And God said, ‘Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.’ So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. God called the vault ‘sky.’ And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day. And God said, ‘Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.’ And it was so. God called the dry ground ‘land,’ and the gathered waters he called ‘seas.’ And God saw that it was good. Then God said, ‘Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.’ And it was so. The land produced vegetation… And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.” (Genesis 1:6–13)

“And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times…’ God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.” (Genesis 1:14–19)

“And God said, ‘Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky…’ God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.’ And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.” (Genesis 1:20–23)

“And God said, ‘Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals…’ God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.” (Genesis 1:24–31)

“Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” (Genesis 2:1–3)

After carefully reading the passages from Genesis 1:3–31 to Genesis 2:1–3, you’ll notice that before the end of each day, God evaluated His creation, affirming or appreciating the quality of His works. But on the second day, there was no evaluation. Why? Because the task that was meant to be completed on the second day was not finished on time.

Since the works planned in ACTA were to be executed within six days so that the seventh would be dedicated to the project’s full completion and rest, God deliberately decided to finish the unfinished work of Day 2 and complete the work of Day 3 on the third day to recover lost time. Surprisingly, He evaluated both works consecutively on the same day. This leads to the conclusion that to evaluate a project effectively, it must be done by stage or task. This doesn’t mean evaluations must occur daily.

Evaluation focuses on:

• Ability
• Need
• Contribution
• Impact
• Progress
• Excellence

It is one of the key strategies for building a strong team that stands the test of time. What you don’t evaluate will not evolve.

As a leader, you must evaluate your team members to determine whether the potential they are currently displaying aligns with the potential they should be deploying to move the organization to the next level. If not, it becomes your responsibility to bring out the hidden genius within them. You must turn their instability into stability—just as Jesus transformed Simon (which means instability) into Peter (stability).

This evaluation will help you identify the “skill gap”—that is, the difference between the employee’s current ability and the future ability you want them to attain to propel the organization forward.

When conducting evaluations, you should seek out the F.A.T. people—those who are Faithful, Available, and Teachable. You should list the skills you expect to see in your team members, identify their weaknesses, and work to turn these into strengths. Train them and provide them with what they need to experience rapid and meaningful change—not only in their skills but also in their attitudes. Identify those who need training and send them for it.

We don’t only evaluate what’s not working—we also evaluate what is working in order to increase the percentage of quality in the products or services delivered to clients. Evaluation could show you that your organization could have achieved 50% growth instead of 25% in the same year. The organization may be operating, but it may not be performing.

Evaluation focuses on three major areas:

1. The services provided by the organization
2. The products sold by the organization
3. The team itself

Evaluation also depends on your sector of activity. By assessing what works and what doesn’t, you increase the organization’s competitiveness. Also, evaluations should be based on statistical data to track growth over the years.

Even God, in the creation of the world, conducted daily evaluations. Without evaluation, there is no evolution—it is evaluation that brings about growth and progress. Evaluation helps you determine the organization’s needs in human, material, and financial resources. It also allows you to assess each team member’s contribution to see who brings the most to the table—and then train or enhance the skills of high performers so they can contribute even more.

You must also evaluate the excellence of the worker (through a comparative performance study). Just because money is coming in doesn’t mean everything is going well! Many organizational leaders make this mistake—don’t be one of them.

“Without evaluation, there is no evolution; it is evaluation that brings about growth.” — ULRICH MEHOUELLEY

This text is an excerpt from the book “BUILDING A STRONG TEAM” written by ULRICH MEHOUELLEY.

We invite you to read the next article: “HOW TO RESOLVE CONFLICTS BETWEEN COLLEAGUES?”