Deal with the Horse Before It Gets out of the Barn
It is the middle of 2018. We are entering the “summer lull” when tasks and activities will be executed around our vacations. One of the activities may be mid-year performance reviews.
My January 24, 2018 article, Looking Out for Your Annual Job Performance Rating, cited considerations that could impact your annual performance rating.
- Delays in obtaining the funding and resources essential to the accomplishment of your objectives
- Delays in organizing the project teams to which you were to be assigned
- Getting a new boss
- Changes in the leadership of your organization
- Changes in business conditions such as lower than expected company sales and profits
The article also suggested using a Personal Performance Monitoring System (PPMS) to minimize the probability of an unpleasant surprise or disappointment when you receive your annual performance rating. PPMS could include:
- Personal leading indicators.
- Quarterly performance reviews with your boss and others who will provide input into your performance rating.
- Periodic reviews with a peer, mentor, or coach who can offer an objective opinion of how well you are performing and suggestions on how you can stay on or get on track to achieving your annual performance rating target.
- Reviews with a new boss to ensure that the performance target your former boss and the performance evaluation criteria associated with your performance rating target are still in effect.
- Reviews with your boss to ensure that the leadership change in your organization or changes in business conditions do not change your target performance rating and evaluation criteria.
After the summer lull, organizations intensify focus on achieving its annual objectives. It is easy for interim performance reviews to be delayed to the point that nothing can be done to address developments, circumstance, and events that could impact individual annual performance ratings. Now is the time for you to take action to exert control of your 2018 performance rating. I suggest that you schedule your mid-term review with your manager and/or others who will have input into your annual rating to ensure that changes in your performance indicators are addressed now rather than at the end of the year. This can avoid differences in memories (or selective memories) and differences in the interpretation of developments, circumstances, events, and expectations.
Many organization suggest or even require interim performance appraisals (quarterly, mid-year, etc.). In many organizations compliance with the suggestion or requirement is not strong or enforced. It is up to you to protect your interests. In addition to scheduling your mid-year review, you can influence the outcome of the review by developing a plan to address changes since your performance objectives and criteria for evaluating your performance were established at the beginning of the year. Your plan could include:
- Actions that can be taken to offset the impact of the changes.
- Benefits of the actions.
- Roles your manager, others who will provide input into your performance, and you will play in the offsetting actions.
Remember that the person with the plan has an upper hand in determining the outcome or decision.
Also, keep in mind that companies establish budgets for merit increases and performance bonuses. Budgets dictate the need for organizations to differentiate or calibrate performance ratings among individual employees. Individuals with the greatest clarity for their performance objectives and evaluation criteria are positioned to get the highest ratings. There is less calibration wiggle room for these employees versus individuals whose performance objectives and evaluation criteria have less clarity.
I invite you to share your comments, experiences, and suggestions. This helps me provide information that may help you address your career opportunities and challenges.
Linwood Bailey is a career coach and the author of The Business of Me: Your Job … Your Career … Your Value. The Business of Me provides a career management process and information designed for today’s business professional. Since 2008, Linwood has enabled business professionals to manage their careers. Linwood, the been there coach, enables business professionals to increase their effectiveness by leveraging his 34 years of experience managing functions in multiple industries, regions, and corporate cultures.
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