You might enjoy a turn on the slots in Vegas, or possibly a flutter on the Kentucky Derby. Then again, you may totally object to gambling based on ethical or religious grounds.
Would you gamble with your retirement fund? Or your home? Or on the livelihood of your family and kids? The answer is likely to be a resolute NO.
But get this - if you don't take responsibility for your Performance Review, you're gambling with your career and any short-term incentives (such as a bonus) you deserve. You're leaving it to chance.
This doesn't sound right, does it? But you may well find yourself gambling this way, right now.
Our performance at work really is our responsibility, and part of that responsibility is met by preparing for, and leading, our Performance Review. It's yours to execute, and yours to control.
When you don't lead your Performance Review, what does your manager have to make an assessment against? What they use is their own assessment of your performance based on periodic observation, and the opinions of other people. That is, other people who may be supportive, or indeed hostile towards you. What if your boss hates you?
Sounds like a lot of opinion and potentially mood-led, don't it...in other words a huge gamble.
Understand this: Manager's are human beings, and human beings respond to influence, direction and instruction. Believe it or not - if you tell your manager that you deserve a score on something you're being measured on, they are much more likely to give you that score (or bias their grading towards that score) than if you gave them nothing.
Of course, there is the burden of proof: this must be supplied too. But essentially, by providing a Self-Assessment, you are creating a compelling case for your manager to grade you as you wish. Just a point on integrity; your Self-Assessment must be done with integrity! If you stretch the truth beyond reason, or just plain lie, then the consequences could be dire. It won't just demonstrate poor judgment or lack of awareness on your side, but it will also destroy trust and respect with your manager.
On the burden of proof, then look no further than my recommendation to build a Performance Swipe-File to gather up all the empirical (data) evidence of your efforts, and also the anecdotal evidence you receive, such as thank you notes or commendations from colleagues. You should really be looking to give your manager all they need to make an assessment, bar that which is given through 360-degree feedback.
Don't forget to initiate 360-degree feedback, even if your manager doesn't force you. A structured process that allows the opinions of the people you interact with at work is a powerful way of adding to your proof and supporting your claims of great performance. It's much better to feed the opinions in using this method from the people your manager would speak to get assess your performance anyway. It's important, therefore, not to choose people for their feedback that are your buddies, but from around your sphere of influence.
Would you gamble with your retirement fund? Or your home? Or on the livelihood of your family and kids? The answer is likely to be a resolute NO.
But get this - if you don't take responsibility for your Performance Review, you're gambling with your career and any short-term incentives (such as a bonus) you deserve. You're leaving it to chance.
This doesn't sound right, does it? But you may well find yourself gambling this way, right now.
Our performance at work really is our responsibility, and part of that responsibility is met by preparing for, and leading, our Performance Review. It's yours to execute, and yours to control.
When you don't lead your Performance Review, what does your manager have to make an assessment against? What they use is their own assessment of your performance based on periodic observation, and the opinions of other people. That is, other people who may be supportive, or indeed hostile towards you. What if your boss hates you?
Sounds like a lot of opinion and potentially mood-led, don't it...in other words a huge gamble.
Understand this: Manager's are human beings, and human beings respond to influence, direction and instruction. Believe it or not - if you tell your manager that you deserve a score on something you're being measured on, they are much more likely to give you that score (or bias their grading towards that score) than if you gave them nothing.
Of course, there is the burden of proof: this must be supplied too. But essentially, by providing a Self-Assessment, you are creating a compelling case for your manager to grade you as you wish. Just a point on integrity; your Self-Assessment must be done with integrity! If you stretch the truth beyond reason, or just plain lie, then the consequences could be dire. It won't just demonstrate poor judgment or lack of awareness on your side, but it will also destroy trust and respect with your manager.
On the burden of proof, then look no further than my recommendation to build a Performance Swipe-File to gather up all the empirical (data) evidence of your efforts, and also the anecdotal evidence you receive, such as thank you notes or commendations from colleagues. You should really be looking to give your manager all they need to make an assessment, bar that which is given through 360-degree feedback.
Don't forget to initiate 360-degree feedback, even if your manager doesn't force you. A structured process that allows the opinions of the people you interact with at work is a powerful way of adding to your proof and supporting your claims of great performance. It's much better to feed the opinions in using this method from the people your manager would speak to get assess your performance anyway. It's important, therefore, not to choose people for their feedback that are your buddies, but from around your sphere of influence.
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