Time to tackle your annual performance review

Dear Readers: As the year’s end approaches and you start tying up loose ends at work, this often means a year-end performance review waits in the wings. How should you approach your boss?

It’s a good idea to be proactive. If you don’t drive your career, who else will? Even if you have a wonderful boss, you can’t always rely on them to drive the bus.

This is a simple question, something to the effect of, “Can we please schedule my year-end review?” Or if it’s quarterly — let’s say if your fiscal year ends in June or another time of the year — simply mention you’d like to check in. Whether or not your company has a formal process, the point is it’s a good idea to connect with your boss for an in-person meeting if possible, and if not, then via phone or a video call.

Many workers may cringe at the thought of an annual performance review, however, especially if they view it as not having a positive impact. According to 2019 data from Gallup, only 14% of workers actually strongly agree that they’re inspired to improve at work as a result of their performance review.

One aspect you may want to discuss with your boss is perhaps having more frequent meetings to discuss your work. As also indicated by Gallup, when managers share weekly feedback, results are more positive.

Once you schedule time on your calendar, prepare for the meeting. Outline your wins from the past 12 months (or if you met more recently, then from the previous time you met). It’s a dialogue, not a monologue, so while you’re bringing accomplishments to their attention, take time to listen without getting defensive. Perhaps there are areas your boss suggests you focus on improving in the new year or acquiring new skills.

Ask questions — will there be resources available if you need to ramp up in certain areas? If you need to acquire a new skill and attain proficiency, is there training you can participate in online or in person? Can you shadow someone? Ask specific questions.

For the year-end meeting, ask how performance has been measured. Then, be proactive: If you set goals for the new year, or if you’re tabling that for January, be mindful of measurement. What are your KPIs (key performance indicators) and what are some best strategies to achieve them? You can leverage this time of year to enjoy informal lunches and coffee conversations internally before schedules become sparse during holiday downtime.

As you prepare for the meeting with questions, both on the day-to-day with achieving your goals and on your bigger picture career path, remember to recap the meeting via email with actionable items or even as notes to yourself to follow up.

If your boss isn’t interested in meeting and gives you a simple thumbs up or doesn’t want to meet altogether, you may want to still be proactive in other ways to ensure your career is moving forward. You can meet with a mentor, approach your boss with ideas to upskill to get their buy-in, and volunteer to help other groups with projects if you have bandwidth to expand your skill set and bolster relationships with internal colleagues./Tribune News Service