Am I doing a good job?

With all the recent layoffs, some targeting low performers, how do you know if you’re doing your job well enough to avoid losing it? You could reread your most recent review or Connect, but nearly all formal feedback from managers contains both positive and negative messages.

Perhaps you had a year that you thought was exceptional but ended up receiving mediocre or even poor rewards. When you asked for an explanation, your manager said you worked hard and got good results, but you also made some mistakes and/or didn’t have the same level of impact as your peers. This response was probably surprising at the time because your previous feedback was positive. What the heck?

Just like a romantic relationship, the professional relationship between you and your manager can be difficult to read and can change suddenly without a clear explanation. What are the warning signs that tell you when you’re off track? How do you stay in your manager’s good graces? Let’s review what your manager cares about and define a strategy to remain valued even in difficult times.

I don’t know what I want

Managers are human beings—conflicted, inconsistent, stressed, forgetful, and biased human beings. Their job is supposed to require clear, consistent, calm, informed, and impartial leadership, but that’s an aspiration, not necessarily an achievable goal.

As a result, any requirement, feedback, or direction a manager gives may change overnight. Often, that’s not the manager’s fault. Every manager has a manager who’s just as human. When your skip changes direction, your manager must fall in line. Customers and other stakeholders can also force your manager to change requirements and guidance. Yes, your manager should minimize churn and inform you when it happens, but do you remember to tell everyone everything? Nope.

Managers make good money and should be held to a high standard. Nonetheless, they’re imperfect, and you need to assume that what they want may change without notice. That’s why you need to stay alert to shifts and apply a strategy that is resilient to noise.

Early warning sign for what?

Let’s say your last review was fine, and everything seems to be running at the normal level of crazy. What things could your manager or lead say or do that would raise concerns for your next review?

First, a list of red herrings (manager or lead actions that seem bad but aren’t):

• Nitpicking on little details. When someone in your management chain focuses on details, that’s a sign you’re doing good work they care about. Read more about this in The VP-geebees.
• Assigning you necessary work no one wants. You may think it’s insulting or degrading to be assigned grunt work, but if that work is crucial to the business and customers, then the assignment is a vote of confidence. (You can still petition someone else to do it.)
• Saying you’re not right for an assignment. When a manager thinks someone else is a better fit for an assignment, that means someone else is a better fit, not that there’s something wrong with you. Yes, your manager could be wrong and you could be bummed, but it’s not a bad sign.
• Being in a bad mood. Managers are allowed to be in bad moods. They have stressful jobs, in addition to whatever craziness might be happening at home. As long as you aren’t the cause of their bad mood, it’s okay and perhaps an opportunity to help.
• Ignoring you. Managers often need to focus on problems, and sometimes you’re not the problem. Being ignored for a month or two is fine, but if this situation persists, have a heart-to-heart conversation.

Now, a list of warning signs that you might be in trouble:

• Annoyance and/or exasperation. Whatever you are doing to annoy your manager is a problem. It doesn’t matter if your manager is wrong, misinformed, or an ass. If you don’t fix it, you will get burned.
• Worry. If your manager brings up the same topic repeatedly or otherwise shows signs of persistent worry, you’re in trouble. Find out what your manager sees as the sources of risk and then mitigate them.
• Bringing in help. It’s essential to bring in help when needed. However, you should be the one to initiate the request. If your manager is bringing in help without you asking for it, that’s a vote of no confidence.
• Erraticism. Some managers are erratic in general, but everyone has a baseline. If your manager is more erratic than usual, something is wrong. It might not be directly related to you, but you will be impacted. Find out what’s wrong and resolve it.
• Stress. If your manager is extra stressed about you or your area, simplify, prioritize, and focus. Your manager may still have confidence in you and your direction, but the added stress is a sign that you need to proactively reduce risk and increase communication.

You can depend on me

Aside from not being annoying, the best thing you can do for your manager is reduce the number of things they worry about. That starts with you. Be dependable.

Your manager should be able to assign you work and never have to think about it again. That means you ask for and obtain the help and resources you need. You disambiguate the requirements. You provide a reasonable estimate. You communicate issues as they arise and get agreement on adjusted requirements as needed. And then you deliver on time with those requirements.

The biggest factor in promotions is manager confidence in your ability to deliver. Be dependable.

Do the right thing

If your manager’s direction is inconsistent and their priorities change frequently, how do you deliver reliable impact? The answer is to focus on what’s important, not just what is urgent. That means understanding the business direction and goals for your company, division, organization, group, and team and prioritizing them in that order.

How do you learn all that? By watching all the AMAs and All Hands meetings (at 1.5x speed if you like) and by skimming through all the planning memos. From those meetings and documents, you can learn what the company/division/org/group/team is trying to accomplish, and then verify your understanding with managers, mentors, and/or other leaders. There will be an excess of buzzwords and acronyms, but you’re looking for themes. Are we trying to get new customers, engage more with old customers, or cut costs? Is our biggest risk security, competitors, or responsiveness? How are we planning to accomplish our goals, and how will we measure success?

Then focus your efforts on achieving those goals, putting company/division/org goals ahead of group/team goals. You’ll still have to do pet projects for your manager, but do the minimum unless those projects align with high-level goals. This strategy is resilient to changes in management. No matter what happens, you’ll be delivering value that matters.

Qualities that last

We live in a rapidly changing world. It’s difficult to know if you’re focused on the right work and are doing a good job. Unfortunately, your managers are impacted in the same way and might be providing mixed signals. You can take back some control and stay valued and productive by paying attention to signs and applying proven strategies.

First, don’t worry about nitpicking, undesirable work assignments, or your manager’s mood or absence. None of those things is indicative of your personal value. Do pay attention to your manager being annoyed with you, being worried about you, bringing in help you didn’t request, or seeming extra erratic or stressed. All those things are indications of trouble that you need to understand and rectify. To stay on your manager’s good side and show your real value, be dependable and focus on what’s important to your company, division, and organization. That strategy survives manager changes and is as stable as it gets in this unstable world.

It’s tough out there, no doubt. It’s also exciting to be at the center of such rapid change. Do what you can to contribute. Embrace the new tools and productivity enhancements. Stay informed and deliver for your business and customers. That’s doing a good job, no matter what.