Appraisals are an opportunity
for us to lean back and look at what we did for the last period, and how we
fared against the goals that we set out with. I would not be surprised if some of
it is a revelation to ourselves. It always helps to write down the assessments
against the goals, as it makes us articulate better, and drives us towards
being objective in our thinking.
When we fill
the assessment, many of us normally start with the rating, and then write down
why we think that rating is justified. I think it’s better to do it the other
way round, i.e. to write down what you did well and what you think could have
been done better, against each goal. Only after that, fill in the ratings.
This, in my view, will help us be more truthful to ourselves and closer to
reality. When you start with a rating, you will be biased by what you are
capable of doing, whereas by writing down the details first, focus shifts to
the contributions that are tangible.
