performance reviews

it's that time of the year again when we have to list down what we have done for the year and put forward our accomplishments. i never liked this period... not when i was an IT consultant, not when i was a PM and certainly not now that i'm a manager. i've never been one to showcase what i have done. when i was still an IT consultant, i've always thought that delivering excellently was part of my work. no issues during cutover? expected. our business counterparts were happy and wanted to work with us again? expected. wake up at 3 in the morning to do inventory migration and work for more than 24 hours? expected. you don't know how to do something and you need to deliver it tomorrow? sit with someone who knows, ask questions and do it yourself. it's your first time and they expect you to do it well? heck, yes! my thinking was, i was hired for this and being paid for it. it's difficult? of course! nobody said it was going to be easy. you want an easy job? apply for that job that gives the ticket at the toll booth. you want something easy that pays a lot? sad to say, it does not exist. if it does, you're probably cheating your company.

it's harder now that i am a manager, especially when people think they deserve a high rating. some probably do. some just think they do. some think that putting in the hours or a lot of effort means reward. sometimes it does. but sometimes, the results need to speak for themselves.

so my thoughts during this time can really be summed up by the following: do your best. take pride in your work. contribute to your work and to your organization not because of what you will get out of it but because you know it's the right thing to do. you will eventually find yourself at a point wherein people think highly of you because of your character and what you have accomplished.