How To Respond To A Disappointing Performance Appraisal Posted by: Aleasa M. Word By Aleasa M. Word How many of you have worked for a company and thought things were going fine until your performance appraisal came around? Many have been blind-sided by the unexpected “needs improvement or meets (not exceeds) expectations” when there was clearly an expectation of something far better. As you try to keep a straight face instead of the “I can’t believe this ‘ish” face, your mind races over the last year to figure out what happened. A lot of times the criticism we face is about our attitude and not our actual performance of the work we are doing. This seems to be quite unfair, especially when we are really good at the job but for whatever reason we can’t connect on a personal level with the boss or even some of our co-workers. Most of us have worked with people we weren’t close to but even when we believe we are cordial, we end up getting our wings clipped being accused of having an attitude or not being a team player. So, where does this come from and what do we do about it? First and foremost, unfortunately not everyone in a position of management is a great leader. There’s a familiar graphic that many of us have seen showing a boss telling the staff what to do and a leader showing them. A good manager leads by example. A lot of people get management positions simply because of their credentials or they’ve been with a company so long there was no place else for them to go but into management. We can’t always control who we are working for, however, we can be and NEED to be aware of how they operate. In many instances the thought that a manager or co-worker is just a little off can actually be a more on the mark than we realize. An article in the Harvard Business Review suggests that 3.9% of corporate professionals exhibit psychopathic tendencies. Now that’s not to suggest that you start assuming your own manager is a psychopath like those mentioned in the book Snakes in Suits; When Psychopaths Go to Work, but it is noted to let us know we are working with all kinds of folks in the workplace. When promoting managers, senior level executives should be mindful of who they are promoting. Some of the questions they need to ask themselves are: •Does this person really want to be a manager or do they just want more money? •Are they ready for assuming responsibility for others and can they be fair? •Do they know how to talk to people? •Do they know the difference between real coaching and corrective action management styles? For the employee who has to deal with these people and who doesn’t want to get that “needs improvement” appraisal, there are some things to think about to help get through when choosing to continue working for your current company. •Remember , they’re still your manager and you will not like every decision they make •During your review or before if possible, ask them what they believe you can do to make sure you get a good review going forward •Being cordial doesn’t mean the same thing to everyone – be mindful •Watch your words and your body language •Be careful who you trust with your comments about management, the company or co-workers (preferably keep opinions to yourself) •Be aware that many times they know they aren’t quite up to par as a manager and live in fear of being exposed •Don’t’ take it personal, it’s their issue but you must still learn to do your job and be as civil as you can under the circumstances •Being pleasant does not mean you’re selling out, in this case it’s called survival •Carefully limit direct contact with people who may “throw you under the bus” - try not to seem standoffish or insubordinate •If you need to look for a new job, stop complaining and get your stuff in order while you still have a job •Find ways to de-stress or decompress on the way home before you take it out on your family and make things worse for yourself •If you have a really hard time and you have an open and fair HR department make sure to know your rights if you choose to make a complaint •Should you make a complaint, stick to the facts and prepare to show proof of being treated unfairly Working with others isn’t always easy because we are all raised differently and own diverse value systems. Additionally, it’s obvious no two people think alike and workplaces are filled with varied generations. Though we may think the problem is our manager or co-worker, it pays to take a good, hard look at ourselves because we could be part of the problem. Check to see if your personal life is spilling into your professional life and you are sending messages that make you appear difficult. Maybe you’re not flexible and change in the workplace is causing you to unknowingly seem obstinate. Conflicting personalities aren’t easy in interpersonal relationships let alone at work. With hard work you may be able to resolve your issues or in the worst case scenario bide time until you find a new employer
Posted on: Sun, 06 Jul 2014 15:17:28 +0000
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