Job Insurance — SEEK Performance Feedback
December 4th, 2009by Mary Lloyd, CEO, Mining Silver
When it comes to job performance, most of us would prefer to be in the dark. We see even the best critique of what we are doing for the company as criticism that isn’t fair or necessary. But there’s gold in getting that feedback. Knowing what you need to improve makes it a whole lot easier to work on it.
Younger workers want to believe they know it all when they’ve only had the chance to scrape the surface in terms of being good at the work they do. But older workers can get complacent just as easily. So anybody who wants to be really good at what they do (which is the best job insurance you can find) needs to have good systems in place for getting that feedback. There are three realms of information that you can use.
Formal Performance Reviews: Large companies have policies and procedures that require some kind of employee review, typically annually. Most of us dread these. Try not to. Even if your boss is awful at them–which is too often the case, they are a place to start. The trick is to not let that one feedback session be where you stop.
Take in what’s said, ask questions, and try to avoid the “yes but” reactions. Supervisors are not always right, but arguing about the quality of your performance is not the way to change his or her mind. To do that, you have to PERFORM differently.
So be sure you understand what you’re being told needs to change and then pursue additional information from other sources to confirm and expand on that. Make a plan for how you’re going to improve and have another conversation with your boss about your intentions. Then follow-through, even if you are the only one keeping track of it.
Ideally, a supervisor gives feedback on performance on an ongoing basis. If you are blessed with this kind of miracle, pay attention to what you’re being told. But if you are not being told anything, don’t assume all is well. Being good at what you do will make a huge difference in your job security; so take responsibility for it yourself.
Input from Peers, Clients, and Vendors: You work with a lot of people on your job. If you are paying attention, they are offering you feedback all day everyday. Did one of your clients call Shipping directly instead of asking you to figure out what’s going on as your job description indicates? Ask what made them feel that was a better way of doing it. Encourage your customers to give you feedback. Saying something like “I’m working on being sure I’m as accessible as my clients need. Have there been any problems with you on that?” will both give you important information and create a better bond with that client.
Getting gentle feedback all along about things you need to improve on avoids that “hammer over the head” of being let go because you weren’t pulling as much weight as you thought. Keep your ears open and follow up when you have the chance to learn what you could have done better.
And remember, it’s very comfortable to hear the nice things people see in you, but that’s not the feedback you really need.
Numbers, Ratings, and Reports: Every job has something that you can quanitify and those numbers can help you keep track of how well you’re doing. But be careful with this stuff. Looking onlyat sales figures (or some other trackable performance number) isn’t wise. But numbers have a quick, “snapshot” quality to them that makes them great for doing comparisons over time.
What dimensions of your job can you keep track of? Sales calls? Billable hours? Test scores of your students on what you taught them? Time between ordering and receiving the espresso drinks you create for customers? Find ways to measure what you are trying to improve though, rather than trying to use existing but irrelevant numbers. Keeping track of something will only help you improve if the number relates to that aspect of your performance.
Bottom line to all of it is this: Feedback on how to do you job better is far more important to your career than the “atta boys” we all love and seek. The best job insurance is to be good at what you do. And to do that, you have to learn where you need to improve.
There are ways. Lots of ways. Use them.