Funny Performance Review Comments 9

[ProtectionEngineer]

All,
It is odd and funny to see this close-out Performance Review comments. This person is leaving his current supervisor for better opportunity in the same company.

I am not sure this supervisor knows what he is writing and back-fired on him. Has anyone of you ever seen this type of comments from a supervisor? What are the right approach to reply this type of comments?

Is the supervisor got upset and shows his frustrations on this person?
Thanks.
A

The comments start here:
Mike tends to be too blunt when coaching others and providing feedback. He needs to show more consideration and sensitivity to others' feelings. His feedback feels more like direct criticism and this can make others feel angry or undervalued.

Damaging others' self-esteem does nothing to help the person understand and make necessary improvements and adjustments.

When Mike needs to give negative feedback to others, he needs to show empathy while offering support and guidance. This will give people the confidence to continue in their efforts to improve.

Mike tends to dictate change instead of introducing it in a positive, collaborative way. He doesn't listen to others' concerns or tolerate resistance. This puts people off and impedes the chances for successful implementation of the change.

Mike should try to empathize with people who feel loss or have other concerns as a result of change and offer ways to help individuals overcome their resistance.

 

[SomptingGuy]

One word: EMPATHY. No two people think or operate the same way.

- Steve

 

[TheTick]

Sounds like Mike's peers need to grow up.

 

[zdas04]

Sounds like the supervisor was writing about himself.

The best one I ever got said "As soon as David learns to develop lists he'll be an more effective Petty Officer". I asked him if he had run out of substantive things to say and he didn't know what "substantive" meant.

David Simpson, PE
MuleShoe Engineering

"Belief" is the acceptance of an hypotheses in the absence of data.
"Prejudice" is having an opinion not supported by the preponderance of the data.
"Knowledge" is only found through the accumulation and analysis of data.

 

[IRstuff]

To answer the OP's specific question: "Is the supervisor got upset and shows his frustrations on this person?"

No, I don't think so. They appear to be plausible comments from someone who, himself, is not terribly good at providing direction. Clearly, most of the comments are structured as pure criticism, as opposed to constructive comments. However, the context is unclear, and why the OP is privy to someone else's review is unclear. Nor do I see why the OP is required to "reply" to these comments, particularly if they are directed at someone else.

TTFN
faq731-376

 

[SLTA]

It's also possible that Mike is a loud-mouthed jerk who doesn't play well with others. Best to look at it with an open heart and see if anything can be learned from it.

 

[zdas04]

Between the service and the big company I worked for I had 29 years of quarterly performance reviews. There was never one of them that had a positive impact on my performance. For a while the company had an "objective" rating system and the score I got on that improved my annual salary discussion (usually from 1% raise to 1.125% raise), but that seemed to encourage good performers to perform good (and didn't have any impact at all on medium performers) so HR stopped that crap. I found getting and giving these horrible things to be a gigantic waste of time.

David Simpson, PE
MuleShoe Engineering

"Belief" is the acceptance of an hypotheses in the absence of data.
"Prejudice" is having an opinion not supported by the preponderance of the data.
"Knowledge" is only found through the accumulation and analysis of data.

 

[TheTick]

Some of my best working relationships have started with a precaution before the introduction: "He's difficult to work with."

 

[zdas04]

I bet the professors you remember fondly were the ones that your friends said were jerks too. Probably the things you value are more like "honesty", "integrity", "timeliness", and a strong desire to follow through on what they say they'll do than on "wit", "life of the party", or "fun". I'm the same way.

David Simpson, PE
MuleShoe Engineering

"Belief" is the acceptance of an hypotheses in the absence of data.
"Prejudice" is having an opinion not supported by the preponderance of the data.
"Knowledge" is only found through the accumulation and analysis of data.

 

[SLTA]

So you can't be kind and honest at the same time?

 

[TheTick]

I see a certain conceit among "touchy-feely" people. They complain that you should be "softer", but they never make the effort to communicate on your terms.

 

[MiketheEngineer]

Seems like HR is involved - never good. But if he was that BAD - fire his butt...

 

[GregLocock]

So how did you get a copy of my appraisal? The supervisor's real issue is that he knows Mike is right and is attempting to drag the idiotic organisation in the right direction, and is trampling on toes as he does so. The supervisor wants a quiet life and has given up on any attempt to move the organisation.



Cheers

Greg Locock


New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376

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[zdas04]

sita,
In my experience no you can't. The worst supervisors I've ever had were "kind" and they universally hid stuff from the workers that the workers needed to know. If bad news has to be conveyed give me a hard ass to do it every time--the kind guys will try to spare your feelings and botch the job.

David Simpson, PE
MuleShoe Engineering

"Belief" is the acceptance of an hypotheses in the absence of data.
"Prejudice" is having an opinion not supported by the preponderance of the data.
"Knowledge" is only found through the accumulation and analysis of data.

 

[ScottyUK]

I had a marvelous comment from an old boss in my appraisal describing me as "belligerent, confrontational, and often right". He could easily have been describing himself except his would have said 'always right'. I miss working for him. Those who replaced him occupied his old position were ineffectual touchy-feely types who weren't fit to lick piss off his boots.

No offence intended to touchy-feely types; I'm a reformed character these days.

 

[ivymike]

When I was younger I once had a boss tell me you're a real a****** which wouldn't be so bad if you weren't right so often... I chuckled and told him right then and there that it takes one to know one. He grinned. A few months later he made the accurate observation that I could probably use the raise I'd just gotten from him as a bargaining chip to get a better offer at a client company that was trying to poach me. It worked.

Ah, those were the days.

 

[bigTomHanks]

I think there is going to be a lot of truth in this persons evaluation. I'm envisioning Mike as the typical know it all young engineer who is hard headed but also very good/competitive. This person probably has a good opportunity in the company but the current supervisor wants to hopefully open his eyes to some of the abrasive things that he is doing. If Mike keeps on his current path he will either be used as a pawn by upper management who will give him all the crappy jobs and work him to death because of his own arrogance. Maybe Mike has respect for this supervisor and will take what he is saying to heart. The supervisor obviously cares about the person enough to take the time to communicate his true feelings but played things right by waiting until he was leaving the group. Worse case situation is that Mike never gets taught how to lead people in a way that makes them want to do better for themselves and the company. He then becomes one of those out of control middle managers who works himself into the ground while ruining other peoples lives that cross his path along the way.

 

[ScottyUK]

"Worse case situation is that Mike never gets taught how to lead people in a way that makes them want to do better for themselves and the company."

Believe it or not some people will actually work well with or for this type of person. Equally some people won't, and the author of those comments is very likely in the latter category. His opinions are just that - unless there's a book of rules about how to be a boss? Actually there are thousands (millions?) of books just like that, and they are all written in much the same style by touchy-feely types. I guess that is because the command-and-control guys are too busy making things happen.

I would like to ask these self-appointed experts why, if their way is so effective at making an organisation work effectively, my country no longer has any industrial base worthy of the name. The reality of their way of doing things seems to be that everyone loves each other and no one criticises but the organisation itself falls apart and everyone loses their job. I'd rather get shouted at by the boss and pay my mortgage than the reverse.

Do the emerging industrial nations use this style of management? I know there are massive cultural differences which are almost certainly a big contributor to their success, especially between the Western nations and the far east and pacific rim.

 

[MadMango]

I forget who said this, but one of my favorite quotes is, "One man's efficiency is another man's brutality."

"Art without engineering is dreaming; Engineering without art is calculating."

Have you read faq731-376 to make the best use of these Forums?

 

[Longinthetooth]

Well said, ScottyUK.

The same can be said for the UK education system. All the kids must have fun. No need to actualy learn anything that may be useful. Just look at the Brouhaha over the recent GCSE results.