Deal with Ex-peers as a new boss!

Here's our take on how to manage ex-peers as a new boss. 

As featured in The Economic Times , February 2013.

It's Annual Appraisal Time!

Its that time of the year again. When bosses noticing your work becomes all important. When staying back at work and sending out 'Reply to All' mails at 11:59 p.m. become the fad. Its that time when ' personal ratings ' (not the stock you picked) suddenly become more important than remembering to have your stress pills or your own personal credit score. Yup! We are talking about your annual 'oh so important' appraisals! Considering you work or should we say live in a company that follows an April to March reporting, the last two months are your worst ever. Simply because now is the time to showcase what you have been up to for the last 10 months and how your work matters. Have you been a good team player ? Did you achieve your 'i-m-possible' targets ? And If you work in payroll, well there is loads to do. Appraisals, ratings, increment letters, announcements and then a quick dash to check attrition scores from last year! 

While last week, we ran a contest on our Facebook page titled ' The things you hear around appraisals and what they really mean '. While most of the answers had us in splits, reading some of the entries also got us thinking on how can one effectively prepare and manage your appraisal and feedback. 

We though of 4 things to keep in mind. Here they are:

1. Prepare : Nothing beats this formula! Since most companies have appraisal cycles more than once a year i.e. a quarterly or mid-term rating, it would be prudent to keep a folder in outlook titled ' Jobs done '. Each time to send out a crucial email, mark your self in 'bcc' and ensure you copy/transfer the mail to the folder. This way, when the time comes, all you have to do is look at this one place instead of ravaging through all your emails and that you know can take days. This one also comes super handy if you have a change in command (middle of the year) and you need to showcase what you have done to your new boss. 

2. 'Areas Of Improvement' : Yes ! There will be feedback. And sometimes it can run into pages. The first thing to keep in mind is be aware of your body language during your appraisal meeting. Be assertive rather than defensive of what you have achieved and show that you are listening. Everyone has areas one needs to improve (even your boss) Remember that constructive feedback is like a gift and not a tsunami about to rock your world. Yes is not always easy to listen (especially if you think your boss needs some improvement too) but keep your cool. Don't let the points you want to share with your boss cloud your listening abilities. 

3. Listen and Observe : Remember that sometimes, your appraisal has got nothing to do with your performance over the last year. Assess the situation. Your boss may be a new   entrant who could still learning the 'way things work around here'. Or maybe, its about showing authority. She/he (your boss) might want your attention cause you've ignored the hints that were being dropped. Also keep in mind that a low score does not mean you are headed for disaster but it would be prudent to look for signs for e.g. If your boss try to tell you, ' You are a real star and we depend on you to make this team work ' and then you get slammed with a truckload of criticism and new responsibilities. 

4. Say no to emotions and assumptions : We all have pre-conceived notions. Especially when it comes to our boss. Who he/she favors. How he/she thinks and is more likely to react. So on and so forth... It is important that you keep these assumptions outside the door along with your ego and emotions when you get into that appraisal meeting. Simply because then you are not coming from a position of being open to criticism but rather approaching this like World War II and are more likely to say or do something that might make the meeting extremely un-productive and rather meaningless. 

Do remember that Bosses will be bosses and yes there will be agendas. What matters is how you manage things by keeping your cool.

Psst. This post also featured on the SHRM India Blog. Happy Reading :)

Witty @ Work Contest !

With the last working day of this financial year just hours away, what better way than to end the year with a ' Witty @ Work' contest .  Before you think of what we are going to ask you to do, remember, winners take home some awesome goodies as prizes. Here's what you need to do ... 

Log in to our pages on Facebook or Pinterest and share your wittiest comments about life at work below the post keeping these for images in mind (we have numbered them for you ...duh!). Is that all ? Well no... that's one part... lets just make it easy...Step 1. Like us on Facebook or Pinterest Step 2. Post your comment/s keeping these pictures in mind. Step 3. Get your friends to like it. Needless to say, more likes means more points. Deadline ? Midnight of 05 April 2012 

Log on to our pages on Facebook or Pinterest to submit your entries.

Rules (cause we need  a few) @ Post your comments below the picture on the fan pages @ Judges decision will be final. We take care to ensure that only the coolest entries win. @ Prizes will be sent within a week after the contest ends. Please direct all queries and questions to info@willnevergrowup.com I "Never Grow Up" and the "Never Grow Up Brown box" logo are registered trademarks of Never Grow Up Workshops Pvt. Ltd. The design used in the contest creatives have been procured for Never Grow Up WPL. All rights reserved.© 2012. I

Har Ek Boss Zaroori Hota Hai !

Happy Boss's Day !

View more presentations from Never Grow Up .

To Tell or Not To Tell ?

The Gossip Paradox : We all do it. We like to share stories but the trick is to set boundaries at work. A sample of senior vice-presidents of communication at Fortune 500 companies stated that harmful rumours reached their ears on an average of nearly once a week. Gossiping at work is also about passive workplace aggression. Even those in leadership roles indulge in making remarks about others. Be cautious, because that’s how negative reputations are made.

The urge to gossip can get you in trouble. Billionaire Ray Dalio, Wall Street heavyweight, has a new stringent diktat! He’s banning office gossip and sacking employees who are caught gossiping more than three times. His policy is ruthless: If employees are caught tongue-wagging about their bosses or colleagues behind their backs, they get two verbal warnings. It’s an unlucky third time when they get fired on the spot. In the company email, he wrote, “Never say anything about a person you wouldn’t say to him directly. If you do, you are a slimy weasel.” Psychology Today reports, “Gossip is like sex. It is so much fun that people can’t stop themselves from doing it.

Can chitchat help you get ahead? 

Even though gossip gets a bad rap, experts also believe that nuanced chitchat may be essential to getting ahead in a career. “If you must be negative, be smart not only about what you say, but also how you say it. Anyone who is an achiever or has good looks or their boss’s favourite will be an easy target. Some disclosures are deliberately spread by senior management in the form of gossip to make people more alert (or so is rumoured). 

Edited from Times Life : September 2011.