Want a Good Appraisal Rating?

I’ll keep it simple. If you have done a good job throughout the year and you are proud of it, there cannot be a reason for you to worry. Yet we see it doesn’t happen that way. Office politics, favouritism and more.

Real life is different. It doesn’t work the way we think. There are subtle factors which we ignore and this is where we suffer inspite of having our soul invested in work. Hence it becomes absolutely necessary for us to know the pitch condition before going to score a century.

Inappropriate assumptions – Your appraisal rating is about two things – one, the quantity and quality of your work throughout the year and two, the way you carry yourself at the workplace as well as in that appraisal meeting with the supervisor. Usually employees invest all their effort in the first criteria and almost ignore the second one – fatal mistake !

• People assume that we need to slog to achieve our numbers to get a good rating. Performance is what my seniors always talk to me about. Hence people even compromise on their work-life balance as well as mental well-being and also remain frustrated.
• Another assumption stems from a conditioned thought that if we can convince the boss that we did a good job and we deserve a better rating by being submissive to his authority in the appraisal meeting, we should get what we want. Little do we know that it is this very attitude which gets us on the wrong foot !
• There have been cases where the employees become more humble and disciplined for a few days before the appraisal. The assumption that rating is all about the final meeting gets them on disadvantage.
• Add to it the assumption that we need to be in the good books of the boss to get a good rating leading some towards flattery, lobbyism, office politics, etc. If the manager is worth his seat and knows what is more important to judge, this nature will rather get the employee into more trouble rather than a good rating.

What the management wants – The management wants to have strong leaders in the organisation as it grows its employees up the ladder. Hence your perception within your workplace ecosystem can sometimes become even more critical than your yearlong performance to get you the deserved rating.

There are some subjective factors that make you unique. For example, conflict management within and outside the team, handling crisis successfully taking everyone along, relationship with clients or vendors, strong decision making ability are subjective factors that help you create a positive perception among your stakeholders. Remember, your seniors have watching you the whole year.

A promotion is not just a better looking visiting card. Your role and responsibilities will be more complex as you climb up the ladder. The management therefore will certainly give you a better rating if they are convinced with your perception within the external and internal stakeholders even if you have a slightly lesser performance compared to your colleague in the race. They need to be sure that you have the growth mind set and will be able to develop the organisation taking everyone along.

Finally, the appraisal meeting – Appraisal meeting is not something to be scared of, especially if you have done great work during the year.

Most people are scared of the appraisal meeting. They assume it is a judgment day and get overwhelmed by it many days before the appraisal inspite of having very good performance throughout the year.

On the final day, they sit like a lame duck in front of your boss, weak on their knees and spine on the appraisal table absolutely surrendered to his/ her mercy. Unfortunately, this assumption is what harms their rating.  

A confident employee with very good performance is an asset to the team as well as the organisation. Self-efficacy therefore is an essential ingredient for getting a good rating. Self-efficacy is our belief in the ability to finish a given task well. High self-efficacy  is a natural outcome of high self-esteem translating into confidence.

Therefore, carry the confidence of high self-efficacy with you in the meeting.

So the first step to get a good rating is to do an honest analysis of how convinced you are about a good appraisal. A lack of conviction will be infectious on the manager and will not yield a good outcome.

And then, let this conviction do its job for you effortlessly. Any effort from your side will harm you. Period !