Summer = Halfway There…

Can you believe the year is halfway over? I know I can’t. June is the time when the school year ends, summer vacations start and everyone tries to get out of work on time to enjoy the longer days. We aren’t thinking about “year-end” quite yet. But it’s a very good time to stop and think how the first half of the year went in terms of your own performance.

For those of us who work at the larger more formal firms, mid-year might mean interim review season. But even if you aren’t having a formal review now, June is a good time to stop and think about your work performance and goals. With only half the year behind you, it will be easier to revisit your accomplishments and to adjust your course on things that may not be going so well. Set aside some time to jot down the things you are proud of so that when year-end “self-assessments” come around you will have a list to work from. Think about how you might improve certain areas of your work. Take a few minutes to review last year’s appraisal and see where you stand against your goals and performance measures.

Having prepared many self-assessments and conducted hundreds of performance appraisals for others I wanted to share a few recommendations to help you prepare for that year-end review that is so often a painful process for both the appraiser and the appraisee. At the end of the year we are often buried with year-end reporting and procedures, holiday preparations, and last minute “use it or lose it” vacation day scheduling. The last thing you want to do is struggle through those appraisal forms. If you set aside time during the year to capture your thoughts it can the process more manageable.

Here are a few things to think about now in preparation for annual reviews. **While I present them for the individual employee, they work just as well for a manager who will be reviewing staff.

• Create a Portfolio — Set up a file in Outlook or elsewhere to save those “great job” emails you are hopefully getting from your manager/co-workers. Send yourself emails or create a file summarizing things you have done above and beyond the daily tasks and file them here. At the end of the year use this file to compile your thoughts about your performance. If your firm doesn’t have a self –assessment process you can still use this to discuss your performance or to support your request for raises, promotions or other opportunities. Managers can often only recall a handful of details when faced with so many team members to review. This is your way to remind her/him of the great things that may not have come to mind when they prepared your review. (**Managers can create files for each employee where they capture accomplishments, feedback, training ideas).

• Ensure Goal Clarity — Be aware of the goals (or metrics) that you are measured by. Make sure that they are captured in the appraisal system correctly or are part of your documented job description. If not, have an overt conversation with your manager on what these metrics are and try to confirm them via an email or other documentation. If your reporting line changes during the year it is even more vital that you have clarity on your responsibilities and goals. If something has changed – a project cancelation, a business line change or any event that makes the agreed metrics less relevant, make sure you discuss that change promptly with your manager or human resources. Waiting until year-end is often too late. (**Managers can schedule mid-year meetings to remind employees of their goals or to adjust them if needed).

• Get Measurement Clarity — Doing the job is very different than excelling at the job. I hate sports metaphors but we all know that a base hit is a good outcome and may help bring in a run, but a home-run is directly attributed to the batter. Think about that if you are presented with an opportunity to rate yourself. Don’t just check the highest ratings across the board. Be thoughtful and realistic. Ask your manager what she/he considers exceptional verses acceptable performance. It’s hard to aim for something you can’t see. (**Managers should illustrate the measurement criteria when goals are established or upon hiring. Ideally, minimum criteria are documented within job description).

Here is a final note on Goals. Make sure they are SMART ….

Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely !!