CAREER SNAG OR FATAL BLOW:
The Choice is Yours

March 2003

turn the situation around or move on (which may or may not involve leaving the company) Again, the best decisions in this situation are based on a thoughtful, current, and long-term (i.e., non-reactive) career plan. (NOTE: As is the case with facing any type of challenge, putting your head in the sand or reacting out of pride is not advisable. Likewise, a poor performance review at this level is rarely due to lack of effort, so trying harder by itself is rarely a viable answer).
3. Learn: Figure out your contribution to the current snag. In my experience, just like a bad marriage, it is never just one person’s fault or cause. On the bright side, when faced with snags in important areas in our own lives we have the opportunity for real learning, i.e. learning that can change our capacity for effectiveness long-term. Thus, while THE OTHER GUY (i.e., Bob or any boss) shares complicity in a bad review scenario (i.e., perhaps the boss was late, indirect, or missing in action when it came to clear, constructive, and timely feedback), that fact doesn’t really matter unless improving Bob is the over-riding objective on John’s career plan.
4. Plan: How are you specifically going to resolve the performance expectation difference with the boss? How exactly are you going to proceed differently moving forward, and in ways you can be proud of 6 months from now? Evaluating any approach in terms of the longer term is critical for those who are inclined towards impulsive reactions. In most instances, the greatest shift can begin to occur when clearer CONTRACTING (or re-clarification of performance expectations and requests) happens.
5. Act: Ensure that there is someone to hold you to your plan. When it gets hard, when your ego is piqued again, when you think your boss is gloating--- there needs to be someone to make sure you keep moving ahead with your turnaround plan versus engaging in a battle of pride, which is not an atypical dance in executive row.


After reviewing this approach, I find that the vast majority of my clients choose try to turn it around first. While their ‘egospeak’ might still be whispering to them: “Go now, Oh Unappreciated One, Go To BetterLand Incorporated, where The Real Good Guys will appreciate your brilliance,” my clients can usually see that achieving a successful turnaround would provide build career management skills and expand their career options. Once over this hurdle, the next biggest concern usually has to do with how they can actually turn around the perception and relationship with their boss. There is good news to share. Each time I have embarked on the journey of turning around a professional situation such as this, the road is paved with the same steps:

Step 1: Declare your intentions. I tell my clients that while there are no wrong answer, am ambiguous or half-hearted commitment will decidedly not work. You must be clear with yourself and your management. Are you willing to give up on the who’s right/who’s wrong issue and see this only as a chance to turn around your performance rather than as career defeat or as a bad boss story?

Having made the decision to turnaround the situation, declare this as your intention to your manager. Note that how you frame this intention is critical. Admit that you have decided to turnaround the situation. Being defensive will only exacerbate the situation.

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