To the Management
Feb. 21st, 2006 06:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
talktoolooseI got up the courage to respond in writing to my performance review (see entry earlier today). I sent it to my supervisor and the VP who is above us. She (the veep) just popped her head in and used her deep, smooth voice to thank me and let me know that it would be shared with management committee. oy. But since they're the ones who did an arms-length look at me and decided I was a flake, I'm glad they're getting it, too.
Here's what I wrote:
Thank you for the informative feedback of last week's performance review. As you suggested in that meeting, I would like to respond to points that were made and to some that were not.
I appreciate and agree with comments about focus and sense of urgency. I think, at times, I was a bit off my game in 2005. It was a stressful year in various ways for me and I am glad to say I'm feeling stronger now. Another important point was your re-emphasis that we are trying to grow graphics' relationship with the rest of the company. The fruits of the improved relationship are already apparent and I'm enjoying being a development partner with the researchers, all working towards the same goals.
The most upsetting aspect of my review was the complete omission and lack of recognition for my accomplishments of 2005. In my review with (XX) last year, I expressed a desire to fulfill the Management Committee's dream that everyone in the company take on more of a leadership role rather than simply sitting back and waiting for orders. I rose to this challenge in two major ways last year.
The first way was my work with online survey software. As our needs around online surveys became more intensive, I worked with the (softwareONE) team to push their product to suit our needs. I discovered undocumented capabilities in (softwareONE) and learned to utilize them. At the same time, I watched for signs that we had outgrown their software. This moment came in the Spring after a very demanding (blahblah) survey. Largely on my own initiative, I snapped into action over the course of a week and investigated approximately ten software options, contacting sales reps and giving different software trial runs. I recommended (softwareTWO) to the company and we immediately signed up with that company. Since then, this tool has become indispensable for (OurCompany).
The second major initiative was my work on the new website. I remember thinking, as I undertook to become the point man for the company on the development of the site, that I was undertaking a high-profile and scary new role but I believed that, working with the excellent team we had, I was ready for it. I met internally with (Huey), (Dewey) and (Louie) and developed maps that helped us see the project as a whole. I researched websites and suggested frameworks and models that might work for us. I solicited and received suggestions from the whole (OurCompany) Team on effective websites. Over the course of the design process, I worked with (WebDesignFirm) to ensure that they understood our needs and gave them feedback, often translating the concerns of others on the team into design language. I took (Huey's) writing and fed back on it in terms of the breakdown of web pages and possibilities for navigation. I gathered images for (WebDesignFirm) to use and made sure they knew how to use them. I asked technical questions that, in several instances, revealed that we did not need as expensive a solution as (WebDesignFirm) had proposed. I acted as an intermediary between (WebDesignFirm) and (ISP) and set up a conference call when the parties needed to come together.
It is a shame that the website could not go live when we had hoped, but if we had included (CompanyPrez) in the loop earlier and were all on the same page (webpage, haha), we would have been ready for at least an initial version of the site to go live before the New Year, on schedule. I am very proud of this and of the work we did on the website.
In conclusion, it saddened me that in my year-end review, no mention was made of my self-motivation and leadership roles in these areas. It also seems ironic that in a year when I took what felt like a positive step forward, I was globally marked down so significantly.
I would like to repeat that the feedback I was given was very useful. You mentioned how difficult it was for you to work forward from the rather skimpy notes of my last performance review. I thank you for suggesting I take this opportunity to express my views and look forward, as always, to a good year working together.
TTL
Sending this letter was the right thing to do. If I'm meant to stay here, they'll acknowledge it's truth. If we're changing into a place where I don't belong, I'll get that message and just fuck right off. BTW, I do not need such change in my life right now. I do not.
Also, I didn't bid on the computer.
Here's what I wrote:
Thank you for the informative feedback of last week's performance review. As you suggested in that meeting, I would like to respond to points that were made and to some that were not.
I appreciate and agree with comments about focus and sense of urgency. I think, at times, I was a bit off my game in 2005. It was a stressful year in various ways for me and I am glad to say I'm feeling stronger now. Another important point was your re-emphasis that we are trying to grow graphics' relationship with the rest of the company. The fruits of the improved relationship are already apparent and I'm enjoying being a development partner with the researchers, all working towards the same goals.
The most upsetting aspect of my review was the complete omission and lack of recognition for my accomplishments of 2005. In my review with (XX) last year, I expressed a desire to fulfill the Management Committee's dream that everyone in the company take on more of a leadership role rather than simply sitting back and waiting for orders. I rose to this challenge in two major ways last year.
The first way was my work with online survey software. As our needs around online surveys became more intensive, I worked with the (softwareONE) team to push their product to suit our needs. I discovered undocumented capabilities in (softwareONE) and learned to utilize them. At the same time, I watched for signs that we had outgrown their software. This moment came in the Spring after a very demanding (blahblah) survey. Largely on my own initiative, I snapped into action over the course of a week and investigated approximately ten software options, contacting sales reps and giving different software trial runs. I recommended (softwareTWO) to the company and we immediately signed up with that company. Since then, this tool has become indispensable for (OurCompany).
The second major initiative was my work on the new website. I remember thinking, as I undertook to become the point man for the company on the development of the site, that I was undertaking a high-profile and scary new role but I believed that, working with the excellent team we had, I was ready for it. I met internally with (Huey), (Dewey) and (Louie) and developed maps that helped us see the project as a whole. I researched websites and suggested frameworks and models that might work for us. I solicited and received suggestions from the whole (OurCompany) Team on effective websites. Over the course of the design process, I worked with (WebDesignFirm) to ensure that they understood our needs and gave them feedback, often translating the concerns of others on the team into design language. I took (Huey's) writing and fed back on it in terms of the breakdown of web pages and possibilities for navigation. I gathered images for (WebDesignFirm) to use and made sure they knew how to use them. I asked technical questions that, in several instances, revealed that we did not need as expensive a solution as (WebDesignFirm) had proposed. I acted as an intermediary between (WebDesignFirm) and (ISP) and set up a conference call when the parties needed to come together.
It is a shame that the website could not go live when we had hoped, but if we had included (CompanyPrez) in the loop earlier and were all on the same page (webpage, haha), we would have been ready for at least an initial version of the site to go live before the New Year, on schedule. I am very proud of this and of the work we did on the website.
In conclusion, it saddened me that in my year-end review, no mention was made of my self-motivation and leadership roles in these areas. It also seems ironic that in a year when I took what felt like a positive step forward, I was globally marked down so significantly.
I would like to repeat that the feedback I was given was very useful. You mentioned how difficult it was for you to work forward from the rather skimpy notes of my last performance review. I thank you for suggesting I take this opportunity to express my views and look forward, as always, to a good year working together.
TTL
Sending this letter was the right thing to do. If I'm meant to stay here, they'll acknowledge it's truth. If we're changing into a place where I don't belong, I'll get that message and just fuck right off. BTW, I do not need such change in my life right now. I do not.
Also, I didn't bid on the computer.
