3 Things NOT to do in your next review

NUMBER ONE  

Going into the review without an agenda of what YOU want to accomplish.  

Do NOT rely on your boss to come up with the agenda.  

In my experience, the most useless reviews are where neither side has done any prep, so it’s just a random chat about whatever comes to mind. The second most useless reviews are where your boss has an agenda and you just make appropriate agreement noises, don’t add anything and leave the room as quickly as possible…. 

Look, of course, the meeting will be guided by them to a certain extent, but there is always scope for you to ask questions and raise topics. 

Decide, ahead of time, what you want to accomplish.   

The truth is, it’s YOUR career. They can’t possibly care about it more than you.  

Dangerous strategy if you expect them to.  

NUMBER TWO 

Arguing with feedback.  

My advice is, just don’t do it. There’s hardly ever an upside.  

Even if you’re right. Even if there’s been a miscommunication. Even if it’s unfair.  

Don’t do it.  

The reason I say that is NOT for their benefit.  

I just know human beings. 

The usual response to any of us being told that we’ve got it wrong, is to become defensive and double-down on our perspective. That is the most likely outcome if you argue.  

Remember, although it may feel unfair and urgent in the moment, the ultimate objective here is to change their mind NOT win the point.  

Unless this review will determine whether you stay or leave TOMORROW, changing people’s mind about your work product is a longer-term game. It starts AFTER the meeting.  

The best way to go about that is to show them that you’re open to feedback.  

The worst way is for them to leave the room looking for evidence that they’re right.  

CAVEAT: Just a reminder that, regardless of my advice, you can say whatever you want in a review. I think it’s important to acknowledge the fact that prejudices and biases (conscious or not) exist in the legal industry just like any other. If staying silent about a particular piece of feedback goes against your values or integrity, you can always speak up. Just like your reasons and, as ever, have your own back.  

If you have a nuanced situation that you want to get some clarity on, just hop on a free consultation with me and we can chat it through together.  

NUMBER THREE 

Not promoting your value.  

Do NOT leave that room without them knowing more about the $$$ value you create than when they stepped into it.  

Remember, career success relies on PERCEIVED value.  

If they don’t know about your value, it’s not bankable.  

I know your brain might be offering you a whole lot of noise right now about not wanting to brag; boast; be like that arrogant guy you hate etc. etc.  

That’s a whole different topic that I encourage you to explore!  

BUT, in the meantime, here’s a quick hack – talk about your value in the context of things that you’ve enjoyed working on or would like to do more of.  

Examples… 

“I really enjoyed working on X because I had the opportunity to [run the process from start to finish / build a great working relationship with client Y / insert other evidence of value (skills, business relationships etc.) here]” 

“I’d love to do more of X so that I can [make the most of my experience on Y / develop my existing relationship with Y / insert other value you could bring to the project].  

That’s it friends.  

Stay away from those 3 mistakes and you’ll be well on your way. 

P.S. If you want to discuss any of this live with me, go-ahead and sign-up for a free consultation by clicking  HERE  We’ll do a short audit of your current situation, chat through any struggles and create a roadmap for next steps. See you there!