Performance Review Day for Bookly

I had my performance review today.

I was expecting it to be an awkward and frustrating event.

Why? Well here are some backgrounders:

1. Since I started this job two and a half years ago, I've been working on branding myself with a "young management professional" image - the "go to guy" for strategy and solution ideas, the tech-savvy "generation rep" of the office. So I'd make my rounds every day to say hi to my colleagues and see how they're doing, sitting in their offices for a few minutes, smiling and being friendly. Occasionally I'd drop in to ask if there is anything I could help them with, and then I'd look for ways to not only complete the task but improve the whole process. I'd even bring in Tim Horton's coffee and muffins every once in a while, stating that it's just because I walk past Tim's in the early A.M. and I was getting one for myself anyways. And occasionally I take my supervisor and boss out for lunch as thanks for their mentoring efforts. I didn't do all of this to kiss butt, mind you. The butt-kisser is someone who tries these tactics with a sort of desperation that sabotages their efforts by making them look insincere. They've typically convinced themselves that they are on the fast track, without seeing that they are just endured and disregarded by most everyone else. I'm sure I succeeded in coming across as genuinely interested and friendly, especially with some of the process improvements I've been a part of implementing. That's the difference. Anyways, since my tailbone surgery (in July, 06) I've been sore every day as I recuperate. This means I'm also sore throughout the night, therefore I haven't slept well in seven months. So, at work I'm often yawning and looking tired and like I don't want to be there. That's a bad thing - it severely damages my brand equity.
   
   
2. I used to be called on for a lot of things. But since my promotion (in August, 06) we've hired someone who now does a lot of this work. So, sometimes I'm left out of working on projects that I used to handle. Don't get me wrong, I don't resent the new guy, he's pretty cool. And it's not like I'm just sitting around waiting for scraps to land on my desk, I do have other projects I work on and I do actively look for things to do. It's just that, keeping with the marketing analogy, the more your brand is in the consumer's face, the more recognition you get. That's why marketers use multiple channels of advertising & promotions. Channels are like projects! With being less involved with a few of the projects I've always been associated with, I'm not in their faces as much any more. Will this come back to haunt me in, say, the performance review? (Them: "Well, it seems your productivity has gone down..." Me: "Well, no, I've just been doing more projects for the other unit... (My target market has changed thanks to a new entry in the market)" Them: "hmmm...well maybe you should have done this! (whatever "that" is)")
   
   
3. I had a head-butting match with my supervisor in November about a mistake I admitted to and apologized for. It got so out of hand, even after apologizing, that a week later he apologized to me for over-reacting about it.

Suffice to say, I was expecting the performance review to be slightly tainted by a slightly dented pride, and that it would reflect a seemingly lower level of productivity and lack of enthusiasm and energy.

On the contrary, and to my delight, it went very well.