What not to say in your performance development meeting
/“The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.”
I recently had my first development discussion with my new leader. The purpose of the catch up was for me to share my development plan and ask any questions. As a part of our performance system, we are required to develop an annual development plan. There are no requirements on aligning these goals to the organisation's strategy or the number of development points you need. The plans are more tailored to you.
In preparation for the meeting we were required to provide the leader with these plans. In developing my plan, I had determined two solid development actions. One around the MBA subjects I would complete this year and another on building the network of stakeholders for the new teams I was responsible for oversighting. I thought two points was a bit light on, so decided to include a third on developing assertiveness. I’d actually identified this as a need from a recent personal reflection assignment for my MBA. The assertiveness skill I needed to develop was not taking on too many things to the detriment of my own wellbeing. I researched a suitable book on assertiveness in the work place and included that as the action I would take in my development plan. After all you have to make sure your goals are SMART.
The time arrived for the development catch up. We went through the normal informal chit chat and then began discussing the goals. The first two were fine. Now the last one….. my assertiveness development goal. BOOM. Not what I was expecting. The leader started with a poignant pause. So… what do you mean by this? Do you have issues being independent and assertive with stakeholders? A very fair question to ask given my goal but completely the opposite of what I was trying to improve. I then had to spend several minutes explaining what I meant for the goal; highlighting that I often take on too many things to the detriment of myself. As the words were coming out of my mouth I knew this was not the right forum for this type of goal. I was essentially airing my flaws which from the perspective of a new leader are actually not very positive.
On reflection, this goal was really a personal goal of mine. In hindsight, I should not have included it in my development plan at all. The notion of only two goals not looking to be enough so I better add another one was not a good idea. Less is more as they say. The leader who has not worked with me may now have an incorrect assumption that I struggle with assertiveness.
As John Powell so eloquently put it "The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing."
Some key takeaways from this experience for me:
- Less is more. Its better to have meaningful goals targeted to the environment.
- Keep work goals and personal goals separate.
- Do a due diligence check on your goals. Is there any way articulating these goals could be detrimental to my professional reputation from the perspective of the leader? Put your political hat on.
- Consider the language you use and how this may be interpreted by someone else. Will it be in your favor? It may be worthwhile getting someone else to read your goals and see what they perceive your development areas to be based on what you have noted.
As they say onwards and upwards, and a great lesson learned in the process. My one take away is don’t take for granted the opportunity of meeting with a leader by not being appropriately prepared and keeping in mind the environment you are presenting in. In this case, the assertiveness goal I shared was not appropriate to be shared in the context of my professional development plan.
Photo by Abigail Keenan on Unsplash