Stephen Hester, CESCP

Demonstrate initiative and add value to the organization. Being proactive and suggesting ways to improve processes or solve problems is a way to create opportunities that showcase your skills and initiative. Deliver work that exceeds expectations, especially for your clients. Keeping your clients happy (and creating/developing business opportunities) will cement your value to the company and help build a stronger relationship with your management.

By actively supporting your manager's development, you can strengthen your working relationship but also contribute to a more positive and productive team environment. Create a semi-coaching relationship where you are helping your manager develop skills and knowledge that will help them. Don’t be pushy or your intentions may be misunderstood. Remember to always approach supporting your manager's development with respect and professionalism. Focus on solutions and positive reinforcement; you want to coach your manager just as you would want to be coached.

Being aligned with your manager’s (and hopefully your employer’s) vision and goals is crucial for both individual and organizational success. It's a team effort and everyone needs to be working in the same direction. When you understand how your work contributes to the bigger picture, it feels more meaningful and purposeful. This leads to higher levels of motivation and engagement, which translates to better performance. Alignment with vision and goals is akin to the military concept of commander’s intent. Commander's intent is the desired end state of a military operation. Understanding your manager’s goal and vision statement helps you act in accordance with that intent, even in the absence of clear instructions.

You have to crawl before you can run. Watching, and then practicing, performance evaluations is the only way to become good at it. I have seen too many managers and leaders, in and out of the military, whose first experience conducting evaluations was when they were placed in a position where they were required to do so. Their methods were based heavily on what they experienced as the one being evaluated. While that experience is an important contributor, conducting effective evaluations requires seeing the role form both sides.

A critical element in evaluating individual performance is teaching someone how to seek out and utilize feedback. I have found that many people, including myself, don't solicit feedback on anything like a regular basis. I'm in a position where I have plenty of easily observable metrics, such as my financial performance, that I can use to evaluate my performance. That helps, but getting solid qualitative feedback is important for helping ourselves and others grow.