Re: Performance Appraisal Dilemma

["Brian Harris" <blh -at- cyberscience -dot- com>]

I'm sorry, for a moment there I could have sworn you'd written "I need to
write my performance appraisal for my boss..."    Maybe I'm living in a
different universe entirely, but isn't a) knowing what you have achieved
and  b) appraising those achievements  - part of your boss's job?  Otherwise
why are they your manager at all? Hang on, I can probably answer that one
myself - because he/she's too busy thinking up terms like "values-in-action"
<sigh> and filling in pretty charts with crayon..
The list of values you have been given are utterly meaningless. Vapid
worthless drivel (and that's being kind). Why not just tell your boss in a
helpful and respectful way that this system (if you can dignify it with such
a term) of appraisal is a nonsense that wastes everybody's time? "Sharing
with others"??  "Integrity, trust and respect"?? What, are you running for
office?  The only purpose filling in this absurd appraisal will serve is
that it might test your 'creative writing' skills to the limit. There must
be a better way of assessing your performance, like maybe your boss
summoning up all those awesome powers of management and actually considering
your work carefully and discussing it with you??
Perhaps this sounds intolerant, but the more people that meekly go along
with dunderheaded management speak for fear of rocking the boat, the more
insidious it becomes. Of course, sometimes churning out dross for the
benefit of the communicationally-challenged (i.e. management) is preferable
to getting the sack for being 'awkward'.
HTH - altho' I don't see how it could.. :-)

Brian Harris   Technical Author
blh -at- cyberscience -dot- com

"I've come round to your way of thinking.
Now I'm there I'm scared and I want to go home."
----- Original Message -----
From: Pumphrey, Steven M. <Steven -dot- M -dot- Pumphrey -at- pmusa -dot- com>
To: TECHWR-L <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2000 5:42 PM
Subject: Performance Appraisal Dilemma


> I'm sorry if this seems a bit off topic, but I need some help.
>
> I need to write my Performance Appraisal for my boss.  The appraisal needs
> to contain bullet points of what I did and how I did it.  The "how I did
it"
> part is supposed to come from our predetermined list of
"Values-in-Action".
> These "values" include:
>
> Executing with quality
> Driving creativity into everything we do
> Sharing with others
> Integrity, trust, and respect
> Passion to succeed
>
> Unfortunately, Managers seem to speak a different language than I do when
it
> comes to appraisals.  As a writer, I like to be specific and to the point
> especially when it comes to things that I have accomplished.  I also
> understand that I need to write to my audience's needs as well.
>
> One of the accomplishments I am listing is that I "Identified Excel Macros
> that needed conversion from the Mac to PC platform."  (I haven't yet
figured
> out which "value" to plug in.)  To help with my dilemma I asked a
"seasoned"
> employee to help me translate my accomplishment into something a Manager
> would appreciate and understand.  I got back something that I don't fully
> understand and definitely something I would not write about myself.  My
> simple accomplishment bullet point now reads:
>
> "Entered discovery mode to identify spreadsheets and macros -- Steve
sought
> out diverse resources to determine a place to start the discovery process
> (PASSION TO SUCCEED/ Initiative).  In addition to inquiries made to the
> RSSAs, he contacted sundry support groups and other technical resources in
> order to establish scope and to communicate the initiative with minimal
> direction from his Team Leader.  (SHARING WITH OTHERS/Teamwork)  Steve
took
> advantage of sundry technologies to facilitate the discovery process, such
> as e-mail, Internet searches, and reference manuals (DRIVING CREATIVITY
INTO
> EVERYTHING WE DO/Innovation)."
>
> Does anyone have any recommendations on how to proceed?
>
> Thanks,
> Steve
>
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