Monday, March 21, 2016

CAREER SPECIAL.... 8 reasons for that poor appraisal

8 reasons for that poor appraisal


Are you losing out on promotions and opportunities because others perceive you poorly?

What matters is not who you are but what people think you are! Thus it is not enough to just do great work but also for people to know and believe that you are doing great.
Here's what you can do to maintain a good impression and also get the performance appraisals and opportunities you deserve!

Right now matters:
The biggest impact on your appraisal is the Recency Bias. Your boss is likely to give greater weight to your recent performance than your past ones. So if you have messed up results last month, remind your boss of the sales record that you broke last quarter. The great side to Recency Bias is you can always make a fresh start and change your work outcomes starting today. People will start noticing, remembering and soon you can build a whole new image of yourself. The opposite is the Primacy Effect-things done earlier get greater weightage. The first time you meet people at work or start a new project--be professional and meet expectations.

Dump your horn and get a halo:
The Horn Effect occurs when your boss notices one negative characteristic in your behaviour and assumes other negative qualities. If you regularly leave office before time, you may be judged as unprofessional. Work on your offending behaviour and make sure that your boss knows that you got a massive repeat order from the client on account of your service. The opposite is the Halo Effect. If you were the hero of a project where you saved an important client, people will trust you for any future project or leadership position. So raise your hand for multiple projects and give yourself more chances.

Stick out no more:
The Sore Thumb Effect is where the one item that sticks out is remembered more strongly than others. If you got drunk at the office party, make sure you apologised thereafter and remained sober in all future get-togethers. Similarly, negative events and incomplete tasks are more easily remembered than positive events and completed tasks. If you missed a delivery deadline that was important for your team, take extra care to complete tasks and to help out others with theirs over the next few months.

Everybody is not you:
The Projection Bias is where most believe that everyone shares their thoughts, emotions and values. Which means that when you presented wrong data to your boss because you had forgotten to check it, you may erroneously believe that it was a minor error for all concerned. On the other hand, your boss may erroneously judge that you are causal in your approach, disinterested in outcomes and that you realise he is never going to promote you. Get sensitive to how people react, what they believe in and what they feel. Draw courage and ask co-workers about your image in the eyes of the team and how can you alter your behaviour to change that.

I didn't know that:
Availability Effect is where a piece of information easily available in memory is believed and accepted much more. Thus recent, unusual, emotionally charged or repeated information stick to your colleagues' minds and affect your work image. So if you have done a great job, make sure your team knows of it. If others speak about it and acknowledge you in public, the impact is maximum. Conversely, if your manager is clueless about your contributions, you are unlikely to get an outstanding appraisal. Make a habit of sharing performance data and outcomes with superiors.

Being around helps:
Humans are subject to the Mere Exposure Effect where they unduly like stuff they get familiar with. Grab a coffee and volunteer for activities and tasks where you get to work with multiple senior managers and thus earn their liking simply by being your own awesome self around them. Get curious in other people's work and be in visible leadership situations.
Company you keep:
The Cheerleader Effect is where people appear more attractive in a group than alone. It is a great idea to hang around people who are looked up to at work. Do common projects with them and work in their teams. As you invest personal time in forming social bonds with great professionals, not only do you learn from them but also people perceive you to be equally professional and high performing. If you spend more time with non-performers, then your appraisal is likely to match theirs.

What you say comes true:
Behaviour Confirmation Effect or self-defeating prophecies occur when a strongly held positive or negative belief influences people enough to change expectations and thus their behaviour and reactions. You are in trouble if your boss believes you to be a non-performer. You will never be staffed on important projects and soon you may start behaving like a poor performer. The way to get around this is to believe in your own abilities and professionalism so that your behaviour, body language and conversation reflects it.

SMALL HABITS TO BIG IMPRESSIONS

DRESS
Your client sees you in casual dress and unpolished shoes at a sales meet. He quickly judges your firm and product to be shoddy and not worth the price. Make sure your dressing style and visual appearance conforms to the situation and expectation.
TIME
In your previous job, everyone came to work at their own time. In your new office, colleagues saw you come in late the first day and assumed that you cannot be trusted with critical roles in their teams. Stick to timings so that people do not misjudge your abilities.
WRITING
You forgot the subject line on your email and the text had typos. Your client never responded. Maybe your language and email etiquette signalled that you or your firm was not worth the effort. Learn to write crisp, correct emails with professional subject lines every single time.
ENGAGEMENT
You are a great multi tasker but your team members rarely speak to you or ask for help. Perhaps they are put off as your attention wanders to your cell or mail when they are talking to you.Switch off distractions and focus on colleagues when you interact.
SOCIAL MEDIA
The interview was great but the offer never came. Maybe the recruiter saw your drunken party snaps on social media and assumed you are a slob. Run social media accounts the way you would dress in public. You are judged on your looks.

Devashish Chakravarty

ETW7MAR16

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