Feb 16 2009
How Can I Do Better?
I was talking with a colleague recently about their impending Annual Appraisal Review meeting.
Almost every organisation has these reviews in some form or another and I don’t know many places where they are really appreciated or used to best effect for either employee or organisation.
It is always assumed or even explicitly stated that the purpose of such meetings is to
- provide feedback on past performance and
- encourage improvement of future performance.
Yeh… on occasion, with a really good Manager, this can feel almost true. But a good Manager is providing this feedback regularly anyway! Why would they/you wait for the annual appraisal?!
So if you’re serious about improving your personal performance, is there a good way to go about it?
How about you – Ask for feedback….
Now there’s daring! Ask your peers, ask your colleagues, ask your managers…
This might sound simple and it does require courage. However, it is very, very easy to get totally wrong!
I’ve been reading “What got you here won’t get you there” by Marshall Goldsmith – fascinating book and unusually, it’s the last few chapters that really made an impact for me.
Have you tried asking for feedback? Where do you start… “Am I doing a good job?”, “Could I be doing better?”.
People you are managing often feel the power dynamic – how can they honestly tell you what they feel could be better… it’s such an openended question and certainly not specific or focussed.
If you’re lucky, you might get someone brave enough, or arrogant enough to tell you what you’re doing wrong. It’s far more likely you will get comfirting platitudes about you’re doing a good job anyway… maybe a slightly embarrasssing smile or uncomfortable silence and then moving on with the business.
So how can you ask for feedback?
How about “I’m really serious about improving. How could I do better? Could you tell me just two things I might try?”
For some people, that would be limited enough and open enough… others might need a little time to think about it or even to share their thoughts later… no pressure…
What do you think? Would it work for you?
