If you’re like me, then you’ll be looking forward to a relaxing holiday season. Not longer after we return to work, we’ll be facing our annual performance appraisal! So not to be caught in the headlights, now is a great time to easily prepare for our appraisal.
The annual appraisal process is, in fact, something that benefits ourselves. It sets an agenda for the coming year for our personal development and our growth. BUT it’s bad timing though (ain’t it?) – right after a time when we think nothing more than enjoying parties and having a good time with our folks.
Well, not to put a too finer point on it, if we begin to prepare now then the appraisal process will feel so much easier (and welcome!) when we get back into the office after the holidays.
And here are some great books that will help you along, and they won’t break the bank too!
If you are the reviewer or reviewee during a performance appraisal, then here is a very good book that shares phrases to use. It isn’t just a ‘say this, and then this…’ kind of book, it shows you what phrase-constructs to use in the right context to help make a performance appraisal as effective as it could be: 2600 Phrases for Effective Performance Reviews: Ready-to-Use Words and Phrases That Really Get Results.- Performance Appraisal: Pocket Mentor (Harvard Pocket Mentor) is a great little book from Harvard Business School Press, giving you ‘immediate solutions’ to the process. It’s short, sharp and to the point in only 73 pages. What I like about this is the focus on us as the appraisee and it explains how to use the appraisal process to our advantage. Best of all, it helps the reader understand how to avoid the pitfalls in the process in order to eliminate complaints and a perceived lack of fairness.
- RECOMMENDED: If you’re a fan of the For Dummies series then you’ll love this one. Performance Appraisals and Phrases For Dummies (For Dummies (Lifestyles Paperback)) typifies the series in a jargon-free, easy to understand run through performance appraisals and how they help us achieve personal goals. It helps our appraisals go faster, more effectively, and (if you engage in the process) you’ll get better results. It includes tips for gathering information and data to support your appraisal and also includes 3,200 phrases to help you articulate yourself well in your performance appraisal itself.
Performance Appraisal: Pocket Mentor (Harvard Pocket Mentor)
All three books are suited to people of all industries, roles and seniority. Some preparation now will lead to a less worrying time after the holidays!
