Learn and Grow: Align, reflect, appreciate

We don’t always appreciate the amount of work flowing to, from, and through each staff member, department, and unit across Yale. What helps us thrive is our capacity to identify the strengths we all have, align them with the right project, and collaborate with colleagues to accomplish goals that benefit the organization. The talent and competency to drive for results has helped individuals and departments achieve exceptional things, and is directly tied in to reaching annual goals.

The competency drive for results, which is one in a set of competencies that can lead to professional success, is exhibited by those who demonstrate perseverance; pursue everything with energy, drive, and a need to finish; steadfastly push themselves and others forward even when faced with setbacks or challenges. High achievers with a goal towards success and quality performance dependably achieve what they set out to do and expect others to follow the same high standard.

As we approach the end of 2019, managers will begin preparing for midyear performance appraisal discussions. Yale has traditionally encouraged this to be a time for managers and staff members to calibrate on goals, measure and track performance expectations, and discuss feedback on both results and behaviors. This is a time for staff members to demonstrate to their managers the quality of performance and drive toward exceptional success they have been striving for in the first half of the fiscal year. The process is designed to ensure staff members are fully aware of expectations, make any needed updates to objectives or development plans, and encourage dialogue regarding career pathing.

Successful midyear meetings are dependent on preparation. Staff members should prepare for the midyear meeting by updating their goal progress and achievements, preparing all data and metrics demonstrating results achieved and their commitment to all projects, tallying recent rewards or recognition, and showing progress on agreed upon development action planning activities.

Midyear is a time to align, reflect, and appreciate all that has been accomplished thus far this fiscal year and prepare for what lies ahead over the remaining six months of the year.  Take the opportunity to meet with your manager in December or January and outline the progress made since July 1; then plan through June 30, 2020—how you’ve helped drive professional results for Yale and personal development results for you.

Here are tools to help you prepare for this midyear meeting: https://your.yale.edu/sites/default/files/revise11-19mid-yearperformancediscussions.pdf