Like most first-graders, baby daughter gets a color rating attesting to her performance in school at the end of every day. Green is for good, yellow is for the initial “you’re-about-to-step-into-danger-zone” initial warning, and red…well, is the “no-toy-no-tv-no-sweets-eat-your-veggies” glaring behavioral emergency light.

After a couple of red episodes, mostly due to experimenting with natural stubbornness and limits, baby girl went back to bringing green little dots on her daily performance sheet. Until the day she approached me with a slight grin on her face, little eyes lighting up with curiosity: “So mommy, what’s after green?”

At which point I took a second (or two) to quietly beam with pride at this human being, who happened to come out of me (oh and her dad, but my side of the family did really well in school)…

After the pride, came the pertinent questioning. She was right…

If most of us, in first grade and through our careers, can get “green” ratings for performance, what’s beyond that? How do we turn an average “green” into an explosion of pink and purple confetti of above average performance? And how do we make it more frequent than the occasional pat on the shoulder after a month of missing family dinners to finish this or that project?

Unless they’re being dealt a performance blow, most people get decent, “meet expectations” performance reviews most years. Which translates into a few accolades here and there, some suggestions for improvement, and a general feel-good sense overall…And the occasional shoe-shopping treat to boot…

Yet, how often do we go beyond this, and ask ourselves: “What’s beyond this decent, good performance review? How do I leverage this good stuff into great stuff? Basically, how do I beat the green?”

 Most people will tell you that it comes with time. Others will argue that in this day and age, you should be happy to have a job where you get decent reviews. And others will even push the envelope and tell you not to try to get too great as it might backfire on you…Something about work politics and who you know…

Yet, what if there were a strategy, a system to get you to push through the last barriers of average performance into stellar, one-of-a-kind performance? What if you could leverage your decent, “green” performance review every time to provide you with a Star Wars dimension career boost?

From my own experience down in the career trenches, and studying “real”, everyday successful people managing their own performance reviews into career greatness, here are a few lessons on leveraging a good performance review and turn it into career gold:

1. Ask the right questions: Use the time allotted to you during your performance review to ask all the right questions you normally may not have an opportunity to. Strategic questions such as: “ What am I doing well?”, “What should I stop doing?”, “What do you think I should focus on learning/mastering?”, should always be on your list of questions to raise. Not to mention the question that can take you further: “What do I have to do to get to the next level?”
2. Show initiative: One of my managers once told me” If the employee doesn’t ask about getting to the next level of their career, we have a problem.” Use your “good” performance review meeting to show great initiative as related to your career’s future. Where do you want to get to? Don’t wait for your boss to tell you what to do. Instead, ask what is required of you to beat the “green” and get to that next stage of your career. And don’t apologize it for it either…
3. Build a personal connection: Your performance review is an opportunity to connect with your manager. Don’t let a good performance review satisfy you enough not to try and build an even deeper, more personal bond with your boss. Remember that a large chunk of your career success rests on healthy, positive relationships! Speak to your boss in a personal manner. Relax and leave the corporate stiffness aside. Instead, thank her/him for their impact on your career, as well as their support and leadership. Ask them what they did in their own career to get to the level they’re at. Be personable. Act like you’re talking to another human.
4. Humble yourself: A good performance review is not a bragging stage. While you should definitely bring up the positive contributions you made to your team and department, don’t forget to bring out the “humility factor”. One key thing to do is to attribute some of your success to your manager and team. Be sure not only to thank her/him, but also to point out ways in which her/his leadership has helped you in achieving certain objectives. Flattery? Yes, a bit. Hypocritical? Not if you mean it…If you don’t, then you can always stop at “thank you”…
5. Show unbreakable determination: I’ve mentioned earlier the need to ask what is required of you to get to the next level. Take it even a step further, by showing unbreakable determination to succeed. Show that you are willing to do what’s necessary to reach the next level of your career. Even better, say it! Something to the effect of “I’m committed to do whatever’s necessary to advance in my career”, will take you far.
6. Bring the team factor: We don’t work alone, especially nowadays when the team is Queen in the workplace. Don’t leave a good performance review discussion go to waste by not attributing some of your success to your team, and giving it its due props. It goes a long way to show you’re a team player, and a strategic thinker.
7. Follow up: Never leave a performance review meeting without mentioning the “follow up” factor. Make sure to ask your manager if it’s ok for you to check in with her every once in a while (maybe once a quarter?), to track your performance and ensure you’re on the right path. Not only does it show your spirit of initiative, but it’s guaranteed to get you some serious brownie points…

Do you have any additional tips to suggest to turn a “green” performance review into a stellar career boost?

Love,

The Corporate Sis.