'Working Wounded': Rave Reviews

ByABC News
June 8, 2005, 3:25 PM

June 3, 2005 — -- DEAR WOUNDED: I think I'm doing a pretty good job. I've got my performance review coming up and I'm curious about strategies that I can follow to get the most out of it.

ANSWER: I recently went to see a Buddhist scholar. He was practical and funny, not at all the guy I thought he'd be. He really captured my attention when he talked about nirvana (the place, not the band), a place of true happiness.

It is always smart to be prepared to defend yourself if your review turns negative. At the same time, if you think your boss will be complimentary, you should have a plan for creating your own little nirvana at work. I've outlined some strategies to do this below. For more, check out "Lifescripts" by Pollan and Levine (Wiley, 2004).

Do you stress how much you love your job? Bosses like to hear that people are happy in their jobs. Tell 'em.

Are you prepared to discuss what you don't like about your job? If the review is going really well, it can be a great chance to talk about the aspects of your job that you are less than thrilled about. Just don't forget to bring along a solution for every problem that you identify.

Are you prepared to ask for a raise or promotion? I can't tell you how many people have written to me through the years who got a raise or promotion simply because they asked for it. Good things don't always come to people who wait. If your boss gives you a glowing review ask for something in return.

If your boss responds negatively to a raise or promotion, do you have a plan of how you'll respond? I'm a big believer in following rejection with a simple question; exactly what would I have to accomplish to get a raise or a promotion down the line? See if you can get your boss to give you specific targets that you can shoot for. The more specific you can get him or her to be, the higher the odds that you'll have a better title or more cash in your pocket down the road.

Do you have ideas for projects that you can work on? Again, I think that employees should be more active in shaping their jobs. That's why it's important to keep your eyes out for projects that you'd like to work on. You don't have to just take what's given to you, after a glowing review use it as a chance to better tailor your job to your interests.

Do you bring your suggestion box ideas to the meeting? Avoid making your boss feel like you should be doing his or her job. But it's great to be prepared to offer a few suggestions to improve how you are currently doing business.

If you've created nirvana for your boss, there is nothing wrong with trying to create some for yourself, too.

We'd like to hear your strategy for handling a positive performance review. I'll give an autographed copy of "Working Wounded: Advice that adds insight to injury" (Warner, 2000) to the best submission. Send your entry, name & address via: http://workingwounded.com or via e-mail: bob@workingwounded.com. Entries must be received by Wednesday (June 8).

Here are the results from a recent workingwounded.com/ABCnews.com online ballot:
Do you feel challenged at work?

Our winning strategy comes from Steve E. in Los Angeles, Calif.:

"You left out the most important question to ask yourself at work. Are you happy? Too many people waste too much time in jobs they hate. Do you like what you do, do you like your boss, does your job make you happy and does your job give you a sense of satisfaction? The bottom line: don't waste your time in a job you hate. Life is too short."

What we can all learn at work What works at work

Bob Rosner is a best-selling author, speaker and internationally syndicated columnist. His newest best seller, "GRAY MATTERS: The Workplace Survival Guide" (Wiley, 2004), is a business comic book that trades cynicism for solutions. Ask Bob a question: bob@workingwounded.com or http://graymattersbook.com.

ABCNEWS.com publishes a new Working Wounded column every Friday.

This work is the opinion of the columnist and in no way reflects the opinion of ABC News.