A manager's fervent plea

Thursday afternoon. I've been giving Mid-Year Performance Appraisals all day today and I'm just wiped out as a result. Understand that I've got some truly incredible people on my team, all of them capable of outstanding performances. I know that I'm lucky, I'm glad for it, and yet all but one of them received some form of constructive criticism from me. I really hate that part of my job. I am someone who, if left to my own devices, would float through life, staying out of people's way, annoying as few people as possible, and avoiding emotional confrontation/heated discussions/conflict like the plague.

With that said, here are some things that I really wish everyone in the workforce would pay attention to:

* If you screw up, just acknowledge it and move on. Don't argue with your manager about why it happened or try to make excuses because that only makes us feel that you can't take responsibility for your actions.

* If you see something that needs to be done, just do it. Don't ask me if you should do it, don't tell me you did it (unless I absolutely must know), just take care of it.

* Don't constantly run to me to have me referee your dust ups with co-workers. Everyone that works here is over the age of 18 and, therefore, considered an adult. Adults work out their differences without needing parental interference.

* Don't suck up to your boss and try to do an amazing job for three weeks just before your review. Believe it or not, most of us are not dim-witted enough to put aside your performance for the other 49 weeks just out of admiration for your three weeks as Super Employee. In fact, it just makes me really suspicious when that happens.

* Don't go around to every other member of the team, telling your sad tale of woe from your review and trying to drum up sympathy for how wrong your manager is about you. I've never been able to understand why you would want to share a horrible review with anyone else but I've seen enough times with my very own eyes to know that, for some people, that's their way of dealing with criticism.

Can you tell that I've been doing this for a while? Just call me Jaded.


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