What most colleagues know – the end of the calendar year is an important talent management time that includes employee self-ratings, calibration meetings, performance reviews, and succession planning. The information gathered during this process is used to determine employee performance and potential ratings, which guide salary, bonus, and equity decisions.
What colleagues might not know – calibration meetings and initial manager ratings often occur in October and November, not December or January. That means you must provide your manager with the information they need now to best position yourself for promotions and future development opportunities. Investing the time and energy to summarize your accomplishments and getting others to provide input is worth the effort.
Below are three tips to get you started.
#1. List Your Accomplishments
Most performance management rating systems measure two dimensions – the what and the how. The weight given to each dimension varies across organizations. The first tip is to list your accomplishments over the past twelve months. Then write notes under each that describe:
What was the outcome? Describe the results you achieved both quantitatively and qualitatively. Examples include a) increasing sales by 10%; b) improving customer service; or c) winning awards and recognition.
What specific actions did you take to reach your goals? Maybe you completed the analysis, wrote the computer code, or designed the solution.
What was the impact on the organization? Did your result a) improve profits by increasing revenue or lowering costs; b) increase market share, improve customer satisfaction; and/or c) reduce operational, compliance, or legal risk for the organization?
How did you achieve your results? Describe how your actions aligned with your company mission, vision, and values. Did your work reflect the organizations’ teamwork or leadership approach?
Colleagues that best highlight their accomplishments and support them with evidence of the “what” and “how” tend to receive the highest ratings.
#2. Ask Others for Input
Many managers reach out to other teammates and leaders to get a broader perspective on your performance. Some managers will ask you to provide the names of people they should contact. Get ahead of this ask in October. Specifically:
Identify a diverse mix of people. You want people at various levels of the organization to provide feedback. If possible, reach out to a peer of your boss, a person from another department that worked on a cross-functional project with you, and a customer (internal or external).
Make it easy for people to provide feedback. People are busy, so make it easy to provide feedback. I used to share a simple, one-page form with colleagues and customers. It asked:
- Describe the work and/or projects where you observed this individual’s performance during the past year.
- What were the business results?
- What are their towering strengths?
- How can they improve their performance and your partnership?
- Any additional information you would like to share?
For confidentiality, ask reviewers to share their feedback directly with your manager.
#3. Give Your Boss Talking Points for Calibration Meetings
In most large organizations, ratings are calibrated across departments. Your boss assigns you an initial rating. Then your accomplishments are compared with other colleagues. After the meetings, ratings are finalized in the HR system. To garner the highest rating, or to be labeled high potential, your manager must articulate what makes your accomplishments stand out. Make your bosses’ job easier by sharing talking points they can use during calibration meetings.
Specifically, share information on the following:
- Cross-Functional Projects. Highlight when you worked with other areas to achieve results. These types of accomplishments are highly valued as they demonstrate teamwork, complexity, and the ability to influence without direct authority.
- Expansive Impact. Describe how your work benefits not only your department but makes other areas more efficient and/or effective.
- Required Strategic Agility. Share examples of when you had to change strategy or actions to achieve results. Being strategic shows a higher level of skill, which often must address political, economic, societal, and/or technological trends to be successful.
Bottom Line
October is the time to complete the groundwork to get the most out of your year-end performance management process. Remember to focus on the results you achieved, how you were able to deliver those results, and what you learned that you would apply in the future.