How to prepare for your end of year appraisal
And lay the foundations for your leadership development in 2024
Appraisals. Does the word strike fear into your hard working, aspiring leader heart? Me too. Or at least it used to.
Here’s how to prepare effectively for your end of year appraisal, transforming it from a tick box exercise to a meaningful way to accelerate your leadership development.
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Appraisal? I’d rather watch paint dry thanks…
I have less than fond memories of some of my appraisals. Particularly earlier in my career. All too often, they were a rushed (or rescheduled) 15 min chat with a harried line manager, instead of the career development opportunity they could have been.
I wasn’t clear on what I wanted out of my role, and sometimes my manager just wasn’t great at coaxing it out of me. So I often left that session with a bunch (too many) of generic objectives that didn’t inspire me or fill me with purpose.
Fast forward to me becoming a manager myself and I seemed doomed to repeat history. Giving the same half-assed, half-baked experience that I had once been on the receiving end of.
So what changed? In a nutshell, I did. Years of experience, coupled with proper leadership development left me feeling much better equipped for performance appraisals, both as an appraiser and appraisee.
And I realised the key to getting them right…