P.S- Tips to fight the Performance Appraisal chills!
Sounds familiar? An entire year’s work and all you get is 30 seconds!? The months of January to March are typically filled with performance appraisals or evaluations. It is a battle of sorts. While every employee tries to highlight his/ her achievements and/ or contributions to the organization, the boss seems to be focusing on areas that ‘need improvement’, to put it mildly. Nevertheless, there is no escaping an appraisal – certainly not if you desire promotion and growth in your career.
Like John Snow prepared himself to fight the white walker in the TV series Game of Thrones, you must prepare yourself all year round to face your own version of the white walker – your boss. After working long hours and weekends at times, you wouldn’t want to lose the opportunity of letting the right people know that you are an asset to the team and the organization and are ready to take more responsibilities. Here are some tips to help you make the most out of a performance appraisal:
Honesty is the best policy
The idea of a performance appraisal stems from the fact that organizations wants to give their employees a fair chance of listing down their achievements and contributions and make a bid for a promotion or a role change. A unilateral approach of reviewing employees’ performance can be unfair at best.
Take this opportunity to honestly list down your achievements in the period that you are being appraised for. Also, don’t forget your failures. A successful professional is one who takes credit for his/ her work and doesn’t shy away from accepting mistakes/ failures. Remember, most bosses know their employees well and any incorrect information can put a huge question on your professional integrity.
An appraisal is not a complaint forum
During my tenure as an HR Manager, I was once evaluating the performance of a team member who had listed four points under the achievement section and none under the section ‘mistakes/ failures’. On probing, he started listing down the problems faced by him in fulfilling his responsibilities. The list of complaints was a long one and towards the end of our discussion, he didn’t seem to be ready for a senior position since he was unable to look beyond the problems and figure a way out.
Many professionals are guilty of turning a performance review into a complaint forum expecting their boss to appreciate the fact that they have identified flaws in the current system/ processes. This is the most counterproductive approach to a performance review. If you want to grow, you need to display grit, determination and aptitude of working around problems and not being deterred by them.
Take feedback positively
We all work hard and give our best at our jobs. Does that mean that our performance review will be a bed of roses? No. far from it, your boss might see certain potential in you that you might be unaware of and would expect you to live up to those expectations. Be open to feedback.
If your boss feels that you need to improve your communication skills, don’t get defensive. Probe him/ her further and try to understand why he/ she thinks so. Discuss a plan of action and make him believe that you are willing to work hard, in the right direction, to become a better employee.
Talk to a Career Coach
Many professionals believe that they need a career coach only when they are desiring a job change. Wrong! An experienced career coach can work like a two-way mirror; who can show you your strengths and weaknesses while assessing your expected role based on the KRAs. A regular interaction with you coach can help you discover your strengths and weaknesses and strategize your work through the year so that you look forward to being reviewed for your performance and make the coveted impression.
At Change Ur Story, we understand the significance of a performance appraisal and help professionals get a better grip on their career. Be it resume writing or discovering their strengths or identifying weaknesses, we are there with you all through your professional journey. Don’t let your professional growth bank on appraisals alone. Instead, let’s make it performance-dependent. Call us today!
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