May 12, 2014

Dear Sir,

Every year at the same time, I do performance appraisals (PAs) with my team. The employee fills out a form to evaluate their own performance over the year. The manager reviews that self-appraisal and inputs their perspective. The two then sit down to discuss. I have found that every employee has a different approach to PAs and you can learn so much about people from how they comport themselves during it.

There are two styles that I want to highlight:

1. Employees that come with a long laundry list of their accomplishments; no matter how big or small they are duly documented for discussion and recognition. Strangely, these same employees do not come with a similar laundry list of areas of weakness.

2. Employees that give themselves mainly high grades with very few low grades in any category.

Clearly, neither of these employees is interested in having a constructive conversation about their progress and future. Their main concern is selling themselves. I get why. I have something they want — continued employment, a raise, a promotion, recognition etc.

However, these employees are trying to circumvent a valuable part of the PA process. Awareness and ownership of one’s flaws/areas of weakness is a fundamental part of being a good employee. How can you improve/better yourself if you don’t first own and acknowledge what you don’t do well? As an employer I want to have an honest and transparent dialogue with my employees. That has to include the good AND the bad. Employees that try not address or discuss the “bad stuff” come across as unaware, arrogant, desperate and/or dishonest.

I am always surprised that they think I won’t notice, their omission. Do they think I might actually believe that they have no areas of weakness?

All that was to set the stage … take out employer and employee and insert the people of Bermuda and the political parties, respectively.

That sums up my view of the current state of Bermuda politics. I am tired of the sales pitches cloaked as dialogue that we are getting from both parties. I feel like recognition of a screw up is only obtained under duress or substantial public pressure. You all have to own your mistakes. That has to be part of your dialogue with the people. Otherwise you come across as disingenuous, dishonest, arrogant or completely out of touch. You are culpable to us and a lot of us see through your self-promotion. It’s time to change the tone of the discourse.

NOT BUYING IT