Welcome back to another episode of the corporate Cowboys podcast this is another 30 minute consult for you consider it a therapy session of sorts some catharsis will be involved I get a lot of folks are stuck in the corporate War they’re running and gunning they don’t know what to do
They’re trying to become the best version of themselves and move like corporate Cowboys today’s proof of life this is Monday Monday February 6 2023 kicking ass taking names slitting throats digging Graves Alex not even a minute in today’s question we’re gonna do this quick we’re just gonna [ __ ] plow
Through it is coming from r slash career guidance we’re gonna Barrel through it yeah Barrel through it sounds better career guidance is asking us who attends performance reviews you know what a performance review is essentially an evaluation of your work if you work at a uh at a competence
Company if management is competence enough if they hold themselves out to be leaders more likely than not they’ll have a program that helps that aids with professional development and assist you in becoming a better version of what they want you to be right if you’re not taking it into your own hands
To improve how you work to be more productive more creative more innovative to shake the right hands and get known by the right people you know to get your name in the right places then these companies have a lane have a lane for you to uh walk down have a path
That they can lead you down and develop you how they see fit in their eyes that’s a performance review they let you know what you’re doing right they let you know what you’re doing wrong what you can change how you can change it I mean if it’s a thorough if it’s a
Thorough review inside and out typically they’re going to give you the pros the cons weaknesses strengths advantages disadvantages and opportunities opportunities right it won’t just be a session for them to to rail on you how you’re [ __ ] up your work but if you socialize enough you’ll be able to discuss with them the
Advantages and disadvantages how that impacts the company how that impacts The Entity and in that way you’ll know how the changes you make in your performance also affect the organization that’s a performance review okay so this question is asking then who attends them typically you might have them once a
Year at the minimum if you’re having performance reviews less frequent than once a year like if multiple years go by and you have not had a performance review somebody somewhere is dropping the ball I’ve seen places have performance review twice a year or once a quarter that’s
Four times a year depending on how intensive the work is four times a year is sufficient unless you’re meeting month after month right if the frequency that you meet typically the frequency and what you meet at is going to relate somehow in some way to your business cycle
Yes so if your business cycle is counted in quarters expect to meet at least once a year if not four times a year maybe three times a year right because that that gives us equal partitions in the beginning and the end at least three times a year so Who attends these performance reviews typically typically those individuals who are watching directly over your uh over your work those individuals that you report to sometimes they’re managers or individuals adjacent to them picture yourself in the hierarchy of the organizational hierarchy in this particular situation you are at the bottom
Yeah because you report up and so that individual that department maybe it’s a department not a specific individual that departments that you report up to they send a representative to your performance review someone that has worked with you frequently someone who can attest to your work quality someone who can attest
To your professional demeanor someone who can attest to opportunities for your professional development rarely rarely will you get anybody two two rungs up rarely though it’s possible it’s still possible depending on how important on how impactful your job is you may get those individuals from higher up it’s not it’s not unheard of
All right typically though you get the one you immediately report to and somebody adjacent to them who still qualifies as your quote manager and together like I like I said before if there are competent enough they will guide you through your professional review through your performance review on how to improve
How to become better so on and so forth now the body of this question is essentially asking that who shows up and how to plan for it the body says who attends performance reviews I have a solid line manager who I officially report to as well as a dotted line manager and
Multiple stakeholders in other departments who I support okay okay so they they introduce a little complexity here because they also they don’t report to but they work with they might collaborate with other departments on specific tasks or projects it says here my boss scheduled my performance review and invited my dotted line manager
My dotted line manager is inexperienced and I suspect he is using my review as a coaching session for her okay that’s not it’s nothing crazy yet right if your dotted line manager is inexperienced in managing people Maybe your manager is walking them through the paces of how to review employees
Nothing crazy yet it says here I am really uncomfortable with having a third person a third person presence especially since my boss and I don’t really get along and this has the potential to turn into a pile on session that’s in quotes a pile on session that there’s gonna dog
Pile them and say you’re a [ __ ] employee and you won’t improve and you keep [ __ ] dropping the ball and you’re incompetent they’re just piling on a lot of the weaknesses a lot of the disadvantages without really giving them the opportunity to flesh out to to flesh out the actual development
That’s what I’m getting at to flesh out the actual opportunities to improve it says here do I have any rights to respect that only my boss and I are presents do I have any do I have any rights to request though to request do I
Have any rights do I have any rights to request that only my boss and I are present I’m going to say no no if if they’re on a tier higher than yours like if they invited your co-worker to your performance review unless the entire team right if it was
Like for a project unless the entire team is present that’s got to be some type of maybe not a legal violation but an ethical violation still you want to know how to prepare yourself how to best prepare yourself so that when you go into this performance review they’ve got nothing on you at
Least nothing negative they’ve only got good things to say about you what’s that entail that requires you you to actually have done something positive a net positive for the company you should have acted a professional you should have been productive Innovative creative your colleagues should speak marvels of you
If you show up late consistently yeah they’ll have something to start with and they’ll pull on that thread until they walk back Trace back all all the way to your non-productivity they will find a way to rationalize you being late for why the company is taking a dip in the
Third quarter and put it on you they will pile that on you I mean don’t be too surprised people get railroaded all the time right if they can find something to uh dock you a couple of professional professionalism points right they can find anything especially if you claim to already not
Get along I don’t know how that happens but if they’ve got an imbalance something that causes them to act negatively towards you and there’s no way you can supersede that that shadow that they’re casting on you right if it’s just going if I mean if the review was only with
Your manager with your boss you may be [ __ ] out of luck because they can doctor whatever performance reviews they put together and send them up the pipeline but but because there’s going to be a third party present there and they’re being trained it’s probably in your best interest to act right
If you’ve been a [ __ ] employee you can you can you can expect at least expect a [ __ ] review can’t expect to be a shitty ass employee and then get mad when everybody who’s whose work has been affected because of your [ __ ] contribution shows up to your performance review to bury your [ __ ] ass
All right all right all right all right so they’re asking here if they have any rights to request dude you’re well within your right to request it right but whether or not they respect your request because that’s what it comes down to if it was an actual legal right
You wouldn’t have to request it if yeah it would just be automatic it’s a right otherwise they’d be in violation of it right right all right okay let’s let me let me tackle oh look there’s two comments only let me let me go ahead and read this
Comment real quick because it’s the only one here and it’ll give me an opportunity to uh to take a step back take a step back and critique the comment if anything because we already know we already know if you’re moving if you’re operating as a corporate Cowboy you are moving professionally right what
Complaints could you possibly be expecting to field if you’ve dropped the ball if you’ve dropped the ball really [ __ ] the bed on a project or lost a client then you can expect that to come up but if it’s just something personal you claim that you claim that you and your boss don’t
Really get along I wonder why I wonder why and then whether or not your fear of it being a pile lawn session whether that fear is is is founded if it’s a sound and a reasonable fear if it’s a legitimate fear you’ve got to wonder whether you’ve got
To ask yourself whether or not it’s even worthwhile sticking around if the boss is trying to bury you by piling on [ __ ] again this is these are questions you need to ask of yourself given the situation that you’re in beyond that beyond that this this comment here says
If you have multiple managers it makes sense for both to be there and provide feedback and hear your feedback This Is Not Unusual in Matrix organizations I like that the word of that I like the use of that term Matrix organizations I call them hierarchical organizations but Matrix organizations makes it sound
Like it’s more interconnective and I did allude to that when I said if you uh work across departments if you’ve handled tasks and projects for other managers you may expect them to send a representative to vouch for your good work or to vouch for to attest to your [ __ ] work right
But as far as like colleagues that are immediately lateral to you that are immediately next to you or even subordinates I mean it’s rare it’s it’s rare that an organization is that transparent where they bring in subordinates to give you feedback on your professional development right typically in a situation like that the
More than likely just ask for uh or distribute some kind of survey to get their opinion that way they’re not gonna go out of their way and and actually haul them into your performance reviews when they have their performance to be worrying about so it says here that’s not unusual This
Is Not Unusual to have multiple managers in a matrix organization and those managers to show up in your performance reviews okay that’s not unusual it says it continues I would recommend just going with it so what if they pile on question mark I mean I wouldn’t go with
It I want to go with it up until they pile on and then if you as a professional see that they’re piling on and it’s not Justified I would shoot back what the [ __ ] like they’re piling on they’re trying to bury you for whatever reason maybe just
Because they woke up on the wrong side of the bed [ __ ] all of that you bury them but for that to happen you need to prepare yourself you need to have walked in an ace an ace in the [ __ ] pocket nothing ill could be said about you again I I
Mentioned if you’re a [ __ ] employee and you show up late every day you’re inconsistent with your work quality you drop the bag consistently don’t expect to uh to to have a valid defense when it comes time to have to defend yourself this is this is all work that goes into
It before the performance review even happens this is actual professional development if you’ve developed yourself sufficiently as a professional then they’ve got no grounds to try and pile up on you I mean other than this personal beef [ __ ] that you claim you have between yourself and your manager that you claim
To have with your manager with your boss right continuing it says so what if they pile on they can’t take away your birthday what the [ __ ] is it oh it says so what if they so what if they pile on they can’t take away your birthday just listen and take the
Feedback no [ __ ] all of that what continuing it’s not it’s not done yet it says here if you don’t get along with your boss consider either changing your behavior to get along or finding another job how do you expect to progress in your career if you’re an adversary to
The people who decide whether to give you a raise or promote you and while that makes sense while that may make sense why the [ __ ] would I want to make friends why would why the [ __ ] would I want to be friends with someone who doesn’t like me might
Have a personal issue with me who might take personal offense to the way I work to my former professionalism right and again I mentioned it even if it’s some kind of mental imbalance and and and uh I don’t know I’m wearing even if it’s something unreasonable I’m
Going to be the most reasonable if I’m wearing like a yellow button up that day and they come at me different because they have yellow phobia what the [ __ ] is that that one called something I forgot what it’s called but they have uh some type of imbalance I’m gonna take
Advantage of that I’m gonna call them out on that because that to me is [ __ ] and so why wouldn’t I it says here to either change your behavior or find another job you don’t have to change your behavior again unless unless you’re a [ __ ] employee and they’re railing on you they’re piling on
You because you’ve been a [ __ ] employee then yeah maybe it’s time to [ __ ] button up to to [ __ ] tighten up on the work quality and your deliveries because it’s affecting your professional image but finding another job I mean you should always be looking you should always you should never not be looking
Right taking even taking interviews you should should always be scope in the scene on what’s available out there and the op is actually the one who responds to this this is I guess the second comment the op response to this and says one is the dotted line manager though I I don’t
Know what the dotted line manager means I should probably Google it but I’m going to assume that on paper they’re the manager it says here I don’t report to her she’s useless not comfortable with her being there should be a private discussion [Laughter] the person’s use of sentences this
Person’s use of sentence structure leads me to believe that they’re not confident it’s not that they’re not competent it’s that they are not competent in their performance otherwise they’d walk into this performance review and yeah I would just go with it until this [ __ ] right because now we’ve learned
That that the dotted line manager is a [ __ ] this [ __ ] tries to pile on you fire back you need to go into the performance review armed with knowledge or something similar right but as I’ve mentioned before there’s always a last resort you want to go on with with the with the first alternative
And or the last result but the first alternative is going to be knowledge you want to walk in armed with the kind of knowledge that will free you up from any bind that this manager might try to throw you under any bus that this manager might try to roll you under all right
Otherwise what more have you got to lose other than your immediate position maybe not your reputation but that all depends on you on how you conduct yourself at work with your colleagues and Associates so yeah definitely be mindful of that do you have any rights to request I mean
Request it all you want what you being comfortable with other people there probably not something that your manager cares about because it’s not your comfort level that’s being evaluated it’s your performance right so you’ve got to take the idea out of your mind that you should be comfortable
In reality I mean they don’t care if you’re comfortable or not I mean ideally it would just be those individuals that you’ve worked closest with and that they can attest to your work performance and can provide the feedback that you want the feedback that you’re looking for but
If as you’re saying there’s a manager in training I mean maybe they haven’t been walked through or haven’t been given a a mock performance review again I don’t know what the setup is like in your organization but typically in situations like that new manager or new managers are given uh mock exercises
With employees or with their managers to be able to assess to be able to assess their competency as a manager who has to give a performance review just like a hiring manager had to be trained on how to interview specifically with the companies needs and qualifications
So uh a manager also has to be trained on how to conduct performance reviews I mean that’s not unheard of in other words you go in the best version of yourself right and even if you don’t know if you’ve been a [ __ ] employee or even if you have
Been a [ __ ] employee you walk in with confidence you exude confidence I’ve seen employees who are [ __ ] employees and yet great colleagues right they may be there more so for the Vibes and I’m not knocking I’m not knocking the hard workers I’m not knocking the people who who produce the most value
Right there are still those individuals who contribute the right kind of value at the right time they’re more Social Butterflies than they are technicians they’re more Network specialists than they are engineers they’re more schmoozers than they are lawyers and yet those people create the right kind of value create
The right kind of corporate culture that you need cultivate a reputation with your clients whether or not you see it on the bottom line maybe they’re billable hours are not as high and yet the value they bring to the company is immeasurable because folks like working with them
It’s a game of balance it’s a game of balance you can’t drop all the balls you can drop one or two of the balls I mean you could also drop none of them you could be the consummate professional and be competent in every in every single area
Then what could they say in the performance reviews oh I don’t like Alex he wears a yellow shirt he looks like a [ __ ] that’s a personal issue it’s got nothing to do with the way I work it’s got nothing to do with with the way I produce
Dry care they could go [ __ ] themselves right so you shouldn’t be worried that somebody else is going to be witness is going to Bear witness to your greatness in this performance review I mean the fact that you don’t want them there lets me know that you have something to fear
But it also tells me that you’ve got something to prove and you better prove yourself otherwise your worst fears may just become reality and that is being exposed whether you want to or not if you find yourself in a position similar to this right you don’t know how to proceed
You don’t know whether or not it’s legal or it’s right or it’s ethical and need help on shaping your professional image because this all comes back to being a professional really a performance review is assessing your level of professionalism in order to determine whether or not they’re going to promote you or or
Compensate you give you a raise those are all factors so you want to go in the most prepared the most competent and ready ready to back up the fact that you’re better if not the best you’re better but that comes back to you knowing the organization you work for understanding the values
And being able to uh being able to distinguish yourself from your manager if your manager is not being professional right don’t let personal issues get in the way of your professional development business is war and yet business is always personal but if this person this your boss your manager is insistent
On [ __ ] around with the personal issues and not minding their [ __ ] business as far as professional development as far as performance reviews legitimate performance reviews go and they just start with the piling on and lets me know at least that I don’t want to work for them maybe not for this manager
Because now they’re training they’re training your new supervisor on how to on who to pile up on and for what reasons and they’ll probably get together at lunch later on and talk [ __ ] about you also and that that just spirals that just ferments into more [ __ ] that’s not the business man
If you need help if you need a career coaching career consultation don’t hesitate to reach out to us you can find us on Instagram that’s at corporate Cowboys with a z or on patreon you could join us it’s the corporate Cowboys podcast and there are multiple tiers some of them actually
Give you more privileges than others like questions and answers live talks and uh yeah most importantly I mean if you want to donate at all a dollar a million you can do that a couple of uh money apps floating around cash app venmo that sort of thing
By all means you can do that keep this operation help us keep this operation non-profit and free you may have noticed that this episode was a little slower nothing wrong with that it’s just that I think you’re going in with an unreasonable fear of your performance review what are you
Afraid are you afraid of your performance that your performance is going to get trashed I mean that ought to make you reconsider whether or not you’re performing where you want to be and um and beyond that don’t expect any privacy when you’re in this organization don’t
Like I said earlier I’ve seen I’ve seen subordinates get asked for feedback maybe not as far as like inviting them to your performance review but I’ve seen subordinates get asked for feedback I’ve seen lateral colleagues right so colleagues are on the same level as yourself in addition to your
Managers don’t expect transparency in an organization you go in a professional you leave a professional a consummate professional always as if at any point in time you’re dropping the ball or you’re afraid somebody else is going to expose you for some reason it’s because you’re not cultivating you’re not cultivating the
Right professional image you should always be the most reasonable person you should strive to be the most reasonable cultivate the right professional image I’ll catch y’all next time
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