You see the meeting on your calendar and feel a familiar angst. You think you have had a good year, but you never know exactly what your performance review is going to say. You also are eager to know what your bonus or salary raise will be.
Performance appraisal meetings can be stressful, but they are also a golden opportunity for you to ask your boss for the help you need to succeed at your job. Here are eight things you should consider asking your boss to provide you in that meeting:
1 – Feedback – The most important support your manager can provide you is regular and timely feedback you can act upon. Your year-end performance appraisal conversation should not be a surprise to you. Regular check-in meetings every week or few with your boss can be essential to get that feedback. You need to take ownership of those meetings to make sure they don’t just become project review meetings. You need to make sure they center on getting feedback about your performance against your goals and your expected competencies. You should propose an agenda for those meetings to make those conversations happen.
How to Ask – Thank your manager for the feedback in your year-end appraisal meeting. Tell them you would love to get feedback at regular intervals so you can act on it right away. Ask them to make that a recurring agenda item in regular check-ins.
2 – Decisions – You rely on your manager to make decisions that affect your work but you are not authorized to make – e.g., budgeting, contracting, policies, spending. Your manager has broader tradeoffs to weigh, so you cannot ask your manager to always make decisions in your favor. You canask your manager to make decisions in a clear, timely, and transparent manner so you can get on with your work and learn from the experience.
How to Ask – Think of an example where your manager made a decision in a way that helped you. Thank them for that. Then think about an example where your work would have been better or faster if your manager had made a decision in a more clear, timely, and transparent way. Gently mention it and ask if there is a way if you could have helped them make that decision. Ask for the best way for you to tee up future decisions for them.
3 – Support – Your manager can help you do your job by clearing obstacles from your way (e.g., internal politics), connecting you with people who can help you (e.g., calling in favors with their network), and helping you get more resources or higher priority for shared services. You shouldn’t ask your manager for help in the everyday challenges of your job, but you can use your appraisal conversation to tee up future requests.
How to Ask – Think of an example where your manager successfully gave you air cover. Thank them for that and ask them the best way to ask them for that in the future.
4 – Training – In addition to an assessment of your results, your appraisal probably includes an assessment of your skills and behaviors required in your role. Your appraisal meeting is an ideal time to ask for training to help you improve those. In addition to your current role, think about the skills you will need for growth roles you aspire to advance to.
How to Ask – Search for trainings that you would like to get. Ask colleagues for trainings they have had that they recommend. Have a few specific options in mind, including a sense of the cost and time required. Raise them with your manager during your appraisal conversation when opportunities for improvement come up.
5 – Conferences – Conferences can be a great way for you to learn new things that can help you in your job. You can learn best practices and trends in your industry or in your profession. You can build your network of peers in other organizations who can help you think through future challenges and opportunities.
How to Ask – Find a few conferences that are popular with your industry or your profession. Ask your colleagues. Look at the agenda from past or upcoming conferences and identify how the content and connections you would get would help you in your job. Bring up the conference with your manager as part of a plan to build your skills in the next year.
6 – Mentoring – A mentor can be a useful resource for you to get feedback and coaching beyond what your manager gives you. Because they are not your manager, and probably not in your organization, a mentor can give you an independent view of your strengths and opportunities for improvement. They can also give you ideas about ways to make those improvements.
How to Ask – Your manager may have a large network of senior colleagues that they may be willing to introduce you to. Ask them if they know of anyone who could be a good mentor for you. Ask them for an introduction. If you do get a mentor from your manager’s network, take responsibility for making it a productive relationship. You may also want to ensure the mentor will keep your discussions confidential.
7 – Coaching – An executive coach can be a great resource to improve your performance and build your skills. A good executive coach can help identify your opportunities for improvement and provide a process to ensure you work on those opportunities. Because they are independent from your work, they can also be a great sounding board for you to brainstorm with and practice for crucial conversations and presentations you have.
How to Ask – Ask your network for executive coaches they would recommend. Find coaches who are certified by a respected organization with training requirements and ethical standards (e.g., ICF or BCC). Get a sense of the cost involved to hire an executive coach. Mention coaching as something others have suggested and ask your manager if they would be willing to pay for you to get one. Put the cost of coaching in context by comparing it to your total compensation and the potential improvement in your performance.
8 – Exposure – Your organization’s performance management process may involve comparing your performance versus your peers in other parts of your larger organization. These comparisons are sometimes called calibration meetings. If other managers have to compare you to other peers, it can be helpful to you for them to know something about you from personal interactions, beyond just what your manager wrote in an assessment.
How to Ask – Ask your manager how you can get exposure to the other managers involved in your performance review process. Ask them if there are projects you can be involved in, or extracurricular activities (e.g., committees, trainings) where you can get a chance to meet the other managers.
Your annual appraisal review meeting may be the only time you have a one-on-one meeting with your manager focused on YOU and YOUR performance and abilities. It is stressful for you, but it is also stressful for your manager. That can make them more open to listen to you than usual. Take full advantage of the opportunity to focus your manager on your needs and how they can help.
About the Author: Victor Prince is a leadership author whose books have hit the Top 100 in Amazon in several categories, have been translated into several languages, and are stocked in 1,000+ libraries in dozens of countries. He is a corporate trainer who teaches the communication and problem-solving skills used by the elite strategy consulting firms. He also is an executive coach who specializes in working with financial services and fintech leaders. His professional experience includes: consultant with Bain & Company, ex-COO of the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), marketing executive with Capital One, and Wharton MBA. You can contact him here.