SMART SKILLS
Appraisal approach
Usha Albuquerque

PERFORMANCE appraisals are a critical part of career management. It is a report card about your work and reputation in your organisation. It is the basis on which your promotions and career growth is assessed.

However, before your organisation can evaluate your performance it is important to monitor and appraise your own performance. In fact, a key step to remain successful is to evaluate yourself before your boss does. Managing your performance effectively involves knowing where you stand with the people you work with. The ultimate goal is to define areas of improvement and development and then work on them.

Many people make the mistake of waiting for their formal performance appraisal to learn what others are thinking about them. Formal appraisals occur once or twice a year. This is a log time during which perceptions can solidify. If you work to maintain a fresh awareness of other's perceptions, you preserve the opportunity to influence and improve your performance as and when required.

Your workplace reputation is built on the three corners of a solid foundational triangle. Each corner plays a different role in the formation, development, and advancement of your career. These are: a) skills and competencies, b) personality traits, and c) workplace attributes.

Skills and competencies are what you bring to the table. When you are new to an organization, skills and competencies are what employers pay you for. They are what enable you to make contributions and add value to work situations. Having a clear idea of your skills is essential for managing your career effectively. It will help you assess your potential value to employers.

As time passes and you get integrated into the workplace and culture of your organisation, the emphasis shifts to your personality traits. Personal style is what makes you distinctive. It has a great impact on your career, how you go about making decisions and carrying them out, and it influences how others see and think about your work.

Once you have had several years of experience in an organisation your performance and reputation will focus principally on what you have achieved and demonstrated in the workplace.

The best way to learn about yourself and your performance is to get feedback from colleagues and your managers. Keep your ear to the ground and ask periodically for feedback from the people you work directly with. Getting feedback on your workplace style and contributions is crucial for developing an awareness of how you are valued and how your performance is shaping. You may learn things about yourself that are surprising and even shocking. Remain open and receptive to what others think and say. With sufficient forethought and the right attitude you will be able to absorb what you hear and integrate it into your workplace presence and approach. If you do hear evaluations that are less than positive, take them for what they are intended to be: constructive criticisms.

The ideal time to ask for feedback is at significant milestones, especially after a project has been concluded. The closer in time you are to a particular project, event or situation, the fresher your contribution will be in the minds of others — and the more valuable their feedback to you. Try to press for feedback to specific projects, or assignment —'I'd like your feedback on my presentation to the team yesterday? Or "What am I doing that I ought to be doing less of?' Keep in mind that you are asking for thoughts and impressions about your performance and contributions, to know how you might improve and develop.Your challenge is to accept opinions and impressions as valuable, useful and constructive information.

It is useful to keep a weekly journal or diary of your accomplishments. Keep track of what you have achieved, assignments you have done well, and the responses or feedback you received verbally or written at the time. Also, note down what you did not excel in. In this way when the criticism comes, you are not caught off guard.

Work on your strengths and draw attention to what you do well, rather than on your weaknesses. Your reputation is shaped by the stories people tell about you — managers, your peers, and subordinates. If you don't take the initiative of drawing attention or informing them about your accomplishments and achievements, others will not do this for you. Remember, your performance is evaluated not only on factual, objective information about your skills nd abilities, but also the subjective impressions others have about your personality traits and workplace attributes. It is important, therefore, to develop good work relationships. Organisations look for people with good teamwork skills. So, working well with your colleagues, staying back half-an-hour to help a colleague finish work, sounding out other's ideas and opinions will help build your reputation as a co-operative team worker.

No matter how tough or tedious your job is, it is wise to keep tuned in to your usefulness to the organisation, making appropriate improvements and changes as required, than to be surprised by an unfavorable review at the end of the year.

To do that here are some points to keep in mind:

• Be creative towards your work, generate ideas and show initiative

• Seek and find alternative solutions to different problems.

• Be enthusiastic about your work and motivate others

• Deliver work on time

• Deliver high-quality work

• Make productive use of office time

• Volunteer for additional roles and responsibilities.

If you believe in yourself, are committed to your work and regularly keep abreast of your performance, your career can take you places!