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The Fifth Column
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Sometimes objectives are open to negotiation, and you should
take advantage of these opportunities. If an assignment is too big or
your current assignments need to be reprioritized in order to complete
the additional work in a timely manner, then ask to meet with
your boss to discuss how this can be accomplished. Always come to
these meetings with several solutions of your own; this demonstrates
initiative and the fact that you seriously want to achieve the same results
your boss does. You may not always get your way, but the key is
to build a good working relationship with your boss, whether you
think he or she is a psychopath or not.
You should document other things as well. For example, any positive
or negative feedback you receive from your boss should be noted
in your calendar or date book. A simple note that documents the
meeting, what was said, and your response should be sufficient.
Any threats your boss makes should be noted either in your date
book or a “memo to file,” which you should keep (more on this later).
3. MAKE GOOD USE OF YOUR
PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL
Many supervisors do not like writing or giving performance appraisals.
Some find them time consuming (especially if the supervisor
has many employees to review); others find them hard to write properly;
and still others do not like to give negative feedback to their staff
members, even if it is valid. Because the performance review becomes
a part of your record, what is written down on this document is very
critical to your career. Unscrupulous bosses can use the review as a
way to derail your career by including inaccuracies and distortions;
take the process seriously and try to participate as much as possible.
To facilitate the review process, some companies allow employees
to submit information to the supervisor—a self-assessment—to be
used as notes as they write the review. While no supervisor is required
to accept this self-report of performance, it does help many supervisors
to remember details they might have forgotten and may enlighten