Saturday, September 03, 2005

Better Attitude About Review

It took me much less time to get past what I always see as terrible news with my annual review this year. That's surprising, because I was very disappointed with my final score at first. But then, I realized that getting a score that translates as "exceeded expectations" instead of "greatly exceeded expectations" really isn't so bad, especially when I work at one of the top software companies (and arguably one of the top companies period) in the world.

I've also received bonuses this year that exceed the U.S. poverty line for a family of three beyond my base pay, and a larger family than that if you include stock awards. I also received a raise that exceeded the estimated inflation rate for 2004. What is there in that such that complaining about it makes sense?

My manager's feedback on the review boils down to, "Dude, you are the awesome, but you really should learn to play nicer with others even when they annoy you, heck, even if they deserve it." It would be so cool if he just included that as a synopsis. I'm going to ask him to do so.

That's what I'll work on this coming year. Even if I personally produce less, I'll focus on getting less stressed out and making sure that those around me are more successful. An interesting side effect is that if I'm asked to cancel my plans and work some weekend, I'll be able to say, "No, that will make me very cranky and I don't get along with my peers as well when I'm cranky. I think I need to limit stuff like that."

2 comments:

bethany said...

I'm glad it was a good review, but I know what you mean about getting a lower score. Even when it's just an A- instead of an A, there's still a little tinge of "Why not the A?" But it sounds like you have some good things to work on. Best wishes on that, sounds like a really good thing.

bigsip said...

Sounds like you're doing fine, man. It's hard to see past what other folks are doing wrong/not as well when you are in a position of leadership. It sounds like you're really set to work with them, though. Glad it all came out well!