[quote=“Mother Theresa”][quote=“TNT”]I like these KPIs (which are totally intangable) and wrong
[b]- making the impossible possible (like making black white?)
- strong result-oriented (the results of what? the 3.30 at Newmarket?)
- teamworks spirit and leadership (??)
- prioritize the company interests (And what exaclty does the CEO, CFO and COO do while all others in the company need to do this?)[/b][/quote]
Not only that, but we are supposed to state what percent of the goal we accomplished per quarter, as well as for hte entire year. Therefore, I have to show what % I did in making the impossible possible in Q3 and what % I did in teamworks spirit and leadership in Q2, and what % I did in prioritizing company interests in Q4, etc.
Crazier still, I know one of our very top level managers WILL read the results and analyze them and possibly wish to discuss them. After all, he spent 2 months working with us on our Annual Plan for hte department, making us revise it time and again to move this comma there, that semicolon here, and the like. So, here we go again.
(Actually, I must confess, part of the problem with him is that he’s very very near the top of the company, but it’s clear he’s being squeezed out and a more competent guy is moving up instead of him, so he seems to have not much to do but work on such BS. He was also a line manager earlier in his career, so I guess that’s his mentality.)[/quote]
This is a lot clearer now. I was wondering how you could be asked to select KPIs and track performance if you weren’t revisiting them throughout the course of the year.
In our firm - far from being any kind of ideal - many of us recognize the folly of the process, but sincerely try to make the most of the tools we are given. Sure, this stuff is mostly evidence gathering for HR so that when you upset the wrong person, there are grounds to can you, move you, or kill your projects. But some of us try to turn the tables and work the system too.
Last year, whenever my boss asked me for my goal settings and performance reviews, I asked him about his. It makes sense - what good is my performance if it isn’t “aligned” with my boss or the team’s at large? He would then use the same tactic and complain that he hasn’t had his talk with his boss, and all up the chain.
Unlike back at Corporate, where my friends there stress out about this stuff, we are much more easy going over here. To HR’s chagrin (I’d bet) we tend to push the reports to the last moment, when we wind up having to back into the results.
It seems our process is similar to yours in at least one respect, we are supposed to log our progress over the course of the year. Not quarterly, ours is 3 times. (It isn’t strange to hear a senior manager remark at the bizarre company book club project they dreamed up, “I need to do this to fulfil my appraisal objective!”) At these times, we are supposed to make adjustments in agreement with our supervisor. OK, we can’t touch the objectives we set, but we can add to the KPIs and accomplishments. And of course, if some goals completely fall off track, which they invariably do, key people are informed and are thus more forgivable or, at least, complicit
Since we (my boss, his boss, etc) are all guilty of this to some degree, we don’t and can’t get on each other’s case so much. But having the chance to talk about what we are doing in a quasi-quantifiable way can be in our interest. We can avoid pet projects from out-of-touch boss at the top of the pyramid (“Sorry boss, if I take on your boss’s training idea because then I can’t work on this thing that you and already agreed was ‘essential’” …)
Also, don’t forget that this helps us keep somewhat focused on our salary raises, bonuses and promotions. If all you can expect after all this talk is the customary 3% inflation boost, start looking for a job (don’t hit the road yet, just start looking) and rush through writing your appraisal document. If you want to transfer to another team, office or project, at least you have this appraisal to quantify (or enchance/counter) whatever your boss is going to say. And if you are expecting an organization bonus, you can use the document as justification for protecting your slice or, after you have moved on, remembering talking points for your next interview.
In short, I feel for you, compadre. And trust that you are not alone.