How I Talk About My Work Performance With My Manager
We’re all living through a piece of history right now. As our social interaction, communication, and productivity has slowed, we all have had to adjust our expectations.
At the beginning of 2020, I was in sunny San Jose with my friends where we’d all landed amazing internships in the Valley. Eager and anxious at a new adventure, the last thing I expected was having to be social distancing and working remotely. Now we’re adapting to a new work culture as best as we can, but the big question that keeps coming up is “how have my manager’s expectations of me and my performance changed?”.
Internships provide a short window of opportunity to impress a company. For my fellow University of Waterloo interns currently on co-op, many have less than 30 days until their final performance evaluation. A manager’s perspective on paper can have a big impact on future job prospects. Some of my friends are seeking full time offers after their placements, so working under remote observation has had many people nervous about their futures right now.
In a previous job, when I felt lost about what I was really contributing to my company and I had a difficult relationship with my manager, this was how I devised a plan to get my outstanding evaluation. To those who are unsure of where they stand right now in their placement, here is my strategy on how I set expectations to finish my internship successfully.
Step 1: Determine What You Think Your Manager’s Expectations Are
Set a bar of what work effort will meet their current expectations. Write down your tasks and expected deliverables of your role (day-to-day and long term). Label it My Job Requirements and Responsibilities. Setting up these expectations will make it clear what additional work is to be considered above and beyond (or outstanding).
Step 2: Identify Where You Have Gone ( or are planning to go ) Above and Beyond
In order to be outstanding, you have to exceed expectations. Think about tasks or projects you’ve taken initiative in and driven delivery or progression to above what is expected. If you don’t feel like this is something that you have done, think about where you can go above and beyond in the next month. My rule of thumb is you only need one golden egg to show off. Find one thing to champion and make sure you deliver. Label this My goals and objectives (where I am outstanding).
Here’s a sample table of how I evaluated myself. I shared this document with my manager. I like to use text colours to denote the status of each task/responsibility. Icons or emojis would work too.
Step 3: Keep Revisiting This Plan with Your Manager
As soon as you can, whether it be your next one-on-one meeting with your manager, or a meeting that you set up, introduce them to this structure.
Use this as a table to guide your progress and performance on a regular basis. I like to have weekly one-on-one meetings with my manager as a regular check in. However, especially in the second half of my time with the company, I think it was important to make sure that I was effectively prioritizing my work and on staying on track to delivering what was expected plus a little extra.
Ask them for feedback on this structure to monitor your progress, and also for feedback on how you’ve self-evaluated your performance. Remember, this table is meant to guide conversation that helps you get a pulse on how you’re performing relative to their expectations.
Sometimes you’re thrown a curve ball and need to react quickly to new situations. What you are solely responsible for is your own actions and reactions to change and conflict. It is your responsibility to advocate for your own learning, development, and personal success.
