How to Conduct a Reverse Evaluation Public Meeting
A Reverse Evaluation (RE) is not a performance review. It is a day of truth‑telling, problem‑solving, and collective accountability. Its success depends on structure, neutrality, and trust.
Below is the framework that has proven effective across years of practice.
1. Prior to the Meeting
Agenda Setting
The coordinator and management jointly set the agenda. It includes:
Presentation of findings by unit representatives
Categorization of issues (technology, facilities, processes, etc.)
Small‑group problem‑solving sessions
Prioritization and due‑out formation
Briefings
Before the meeting:
The coordinator and management brief leaders and unit representatives separately.
Both groups review the rules of engagement:
Representatives present neutrally — no editorializing.
Leaders remain silent — no rebuttals, explanations, or interruptions.
Leaders may ask for clarification only if they do not understand an issue well enough to record it accurately.
No repercussions for anything said — enforceable by upper management.
Facilitator Selection
A neutral facilitator is engaged — ideally from another organization or institution in the local community. The facilitator has full control of the meeting’s conduct. Management does not run the session.
2. Opening the Public Meeting
The opening is brief. The facilitator welcomes participants, reads the rules of engagement, and reminds everyone of the no‑repercussions policy. Then managers are directed to whiteboards or butcher‑block paper placed around the room.
Their task:
Write down the problems that need fixing.
Ask for clarification only if they do not understand an issue well enough to write it down.
Otherwise, remain silent.
This keeps managers engaged, reflective, and non‑defensive while issues are presented.
3. Morning Work: Presentation and Sorting of Issues
Once managers have scattered to their boards, unit representatives begin presenting the issues gathered from employees. As each issue is raised, it is sorted into categories — technology, physical premises, organizational processes, etc. Managers do not speak except to ask for clarification when necessary to record an issue accurately.
This phase typically lasts a full morning and establishes the foundation for collaborative problem‑solving later in the day.
4. Midday: Shared Lunch and Informal Connection
After the morning session, the group breaks for lunch. Options vary:
A shared lunch fosters team‑building — for example, everyone making sandwiches together.
Some prefer individual time; both are acceptable. The goal is to reset the emotional tone before collaborative work begins.
5. Afternoon: Small‑Group Problem Solving
Before the meeting, the coordinator and senior manager assign participants to small groups. Rules for group composition:
No one is placed with their supervisor or their supervisor’s supervisor.
The senior‑most manager sits out the discussions to avoid intimidation — often helping with cleanup or logistics instead.
Each group receives one topic area and its list of issues. Their task: develop practical solutions.
Near the end of the day, each group presents its proposed solutions to the full assembly. The presenter — chosen by the group — may be a manager or a unit representative.
6. Closing: Acceptance and Prioritization
All proposed solutions are discussed openly. The large group then accepts or rejects each solution and prioritizes the accepted ones by voice vote. These become the due‑outs — the actionable commitments that management must track and report on.
7. Optional Evaluation
In some REs, an outside department or firm conducts an evaluation of the process. Feedback is gathered randomly — for example, by marking chairs unseen beneath the seat. At the end, participants turn over their chairs; those with marks meet with evaluators to provide feedback.
This step is optional but valuable, especially for early REs, to refine the process and validate its integrity.
8. The Spirit of the Day
The RE public meeting is a choreography of humility and collaboration. It works because:
Everyone knows their role.
The facilitator protects neutrality.
The coordinator safeguards continuity.
Managers listen.
Employees speak truth.
Solutions emerge collectively.
By day’s end, the organization has done something rare: It has listened to itself — publicly, respectfully, and with courage.
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Book Description:
Most leadership problems are not caused by poor strategy, weak vision, or lack of talent. They are caused by something far more basic: leaders who do not truly listen.
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Most leaders practice active listening, but active listening alone is not enough. What transforms organizations is interactive listening--a leadership practice that invites followers to become candid contributors and shared owners of problems, solutions, and innovation.
At the heart of this book is a powerful leadership tool called reverse evaluation, a structured method that allows leaders to learn from the people they lead. When used well, it rebuilds trust, energizes discouraged teams, and unlocks creativity that hierarchical leadership often suppresses.
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