In my seven-year full-time, and three-years of part-time work-life, I’ve had only 3 yearly assessments.
In one of the part-time jobs, where I was a counselor (my own jaw drops with astonishment), I was asked to be part of a senior counselor’s appraisal process, since that organization adopted a 360-degree approach. A timid teenager, my comments were mild, and all-praises. I don’t believe I had developed skills of judging a person’s skills, especially since that person happened to be my mentor and tutor, in this case.
Today, I came across an article by Harvard Business Review 3 Tips for Giving Your Boss Feedback which states that:
…knowing if and how to give your boss feedback is tough.
I’m here to contest this.
Of course, it also gives more sensible details:
Wait or ask for permission. Don’t launch into a list of things your boss could do better. Given the nature of the relationship, it’s better to wait to be asked for feedback or to inquire if your boss is open to feedback. Focus on helping her. Give input that will help her improve her performance. Avoid telling her what you would do if you were boss. When in doubt, hold your tongue. If you think your boss will not be receptive or if she has been known to lash out at constructive criticism, you’re better off keeping your mouth shut. Find other, anonymous ways (e.g. 360-degree reviews) to give your feedback.
which I refuted, and yet came out unmarred.
Fast forward to my last corporate job in communications; I was the first person in that subsidiary company who had experience on sales & marketing, strategizing and business development. Some months after I joined them, a senior engineering department head was announced as the new ‘Business Development Head (BDH).
While the team of 50+ engineers moaned loss of such an experienced manager, I soon began to pull my hair in frustration. He had not the faintest idea of how the sales cycle works. He didn’t know how to find new leads, and deployed an entire team of 7 people who were to be incharge of Procurement of goods for the company, to pinpoint potential customers. Unsurprisingly, everyone began running in circles, with no concrete prospects.
Two months after institution of this new BDH, appraisal-season came up. This company did not follow a 360-degree approach for employee assessment. So all I had to do was list down my KRA’s (from my offer letter), enlist my work against that, rate myself, and send it over to boss, in this case the BDH under whom I had begun working, out of the blue. During the appraisal interview, I defended my functions and progress, which happened to shed poor light on the BDH’s persona as a leader. Abashing, he admitted that this was all very new to him, and was looking forward to my support to help him develop the marketing collaterals. You’d think I got 5*’s in this appraisal? Was saved my a thin hair from losing my performance due!
A few months later, both of us left the organization, just a few days apart from the other. On my last day, while handing over all the documents to him (he was to leave after me), he sat me down, and said that he was not miffed with my honesty. Being 17 years his junior in the workplace, this did kinda add a haughty edge to my attitude thenceforth.
