In our last podcast of the year on CareerCloud Radio we Skyped with CEO Adam Ochstein from StratEx Software. He tells us how his company handles performance reviews and how workers should approach theirs. Follow Adam on Twitter @adamochstein.
Its the end of the year which means many of you are in the midst of your performance reviews at work...questions asked in this podcast include;
- How does your company handle reviews?
- Many people dread doing these how can companies make them more engaging for employees?
- What are some mistakes employees make when it comes to performance reviews?
- What should employees do to prepare for them? How should employees prepare goals?
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- How honest can/should employees be during their reviews?
Adams tips include;
Not asking for one: This is the first way to stunt career growth – be proactive and ask for a performance review
Not asking the right questions: The point is to get feedback so you can adjust and grow, and not asking for a promotion, but rather: What would you change if you could in working with me? Where am I lacking most? Etc.
Not preparing goals correctly: Do you prepare your personal goals? Take it a step further and include company goals in the conversation and show how your personal ones are helping achieve the big-picture company goal – if the company goal is to reach $100M in revenue, what of your goals is going to help achieve that?
Not giving your manager feedback, or being honest if you’re unhappy: You need to be honest and open during reviews, if you’re not getting something that is holding your growth back like more one on one time or certain resources, ask for them. If you don’t like the communication style with your manager, talk about that. Give them feedback, too. Don’t be afraid to have tough conversations because in order to be truly successful you need to be happy in your role.
Not wanting to hear bad feedback, or getting defensive with bad feedback. You HAVE to want to hear the bad to get better…and if you get defensive then you’re not using the feedback to your advantage and holding yourself back from further growth and development.
Not asking for feedback before a year-end review: The end of the year shouldn’t be the only time you get feedback!
