3 tips to prepare for your End of year review

It is getting to that time of year when you will soon be preparing for your end of year review.  You will be receiving notifications from Workday to input self-assessment of your performance for the year.  At this point of the year, there is very little that you can do to impact the “What” and the “How”.  A large part of your review will be focused on discussing your results and the steps you took to obtain them.

Where you do have more creative licence is in the discussion around your future development.  Don’t make the mistake of being underprepared for this topic in your end of year review.

Perhaps you’re gunning for a promotion in the not so distant future? Part of your preparation may be focused on trying to identify with your line manager, what you need to do next to put you in a position to get that desired promotion.  It is important to receive feedback from your manager on where they think your blind spots are so that you may address them.

Depending on the type of manager you have (and culture of the company in which you work) this can sometimes turn into a tick-box exercise.  Have you been told that you need to lead a cross-functional project or improve your influence with senior stakeholders? This is common feedback I’ve seen given and personally received when attempting to make the step up into a people management role.  However, taking these actions will not necessarily improve your leadership skills and make you feel ready to make that next leap in your career.

Whatever stage you’re at in your career, when you get promoted you want to feel confident that you can succeed in that role.  I propose that instead of blindly trusting your line manager to map out your development that you take ownership for your own future personal and professional growth by telling him/her what you will do, what you want and what you need to self-actualise and be the leader you want to be.

Here are some tips as to how you can prepare for this conversation.

1. Get as much personal feedback as possible.

Ahead of your review get as much feedback as possible.  Asking your direct reports, team members and cross-functional stakeholders for feedback may also reveal gaps in your skills.  You will get feedback that you probably disagree with, but really take a moment to understand why you might have received that feedback. 

If you have the chance to talk to that person about their constructive feedback then do so.  It is important to note that words on a screen only account for 7% of communication; the rest is non-verbal in terms of vocal intonation and body language.  Having that face-to-face conversation will give you clarity and eliminate the possibility of misinterpretation. Remember that how other people perceive you is their reality and treat that feedback as a wonderful gift that will help you to grow.

2. Understand what support or resources you need to work on the feedback.

One you have processed the feedback and identified your development areas which derive from it, then decide what support or resources you need to make it happen.  Don’t just go into the meeting and talk about the feedback with your line manager, in terms of what you agree and disagree with.  Think about how you want to grow.

Perhaps you want to be a more empathic listener and you’ve seen a coaching course which you would love to take?

Maybe you want to get experience of people management and have identified a junior team member you’d like to mentor?

Maybe you would like to gain a broader understanding of the business to improve your influence and creativity by having a mentor who is senior in a different cross-function?

Going back to the start of this article, don’t just think of these as actions to tick-off to help you achieve your goal, but project into the future and try to think about how you will feel when you gain add these tools and experience to your toolbox.  Ask yourself whether you will feel more confident and empowered from taking these next steps?

Come armed with these ideas to discuss with your boss in your review.

3. Make it happen – gain alignment and take laser-focused action.

Once you’ve proposed these ideas to your manager gain alignment with them as to which of these ideas are feasible, how to make them SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-Bound) and how they can support you. Then take laser-focused action to make this self-development happen!

Personal development is almost always the aspect of your role which you de-prioritize, especially during tough trading periods.  Make sure that you are holding yourself accountable to your commitment self-actualise.  In the long term, a dedicated hour per week spent on the enhancement of essential hard and soft skills is going to be more important in helping you reach your potential than cleansing your Inbox. 

How building Mental Fitness can help you prepare for your End of Year Review.

Having stronger mental muscles through building mental fitness will help you to prioritize the things which really matter for your career progression.  It will help you to be more empathetic to receive constructive feedback and will allow you to take the fierce action required to fulfil your potential.

As is true of any lasting habit change, this takes at least 6-weeks of intense work.  If you are interested in this game-changing program then take the Positive Intelligence Saboteur Assessment https://www.positiveintelligence.com/saboteurs/ and then book a free 30-minute coaching call with me at https://www.expcoaching.co.uk/ to find out more!