Become an Effective Manager and Employee

I was recently asked, "Can you give me some good ideas to professionally satisfy my manager? What are the skills I should show in order to have a good performance review?"

My first question was, "Well, have you asked them?"

In theory you shouldn't have to ask them because when you started the job you should have been provided with a position description that clearly outlines what your responsibilities are. Ideally, you would also have been given a list of measurable goals you need to achieve.

Combine these two pieces of information and successfully meet your objectives and you should be on target to great performance review.

Of course there are other factors that will impact your success, but the best way to determine how you're doing is to regularly check in with your boss and ask for constructive feedback - don't wait until the annual review to seek opportunities for improvement.

A message to managers: If you're not happy with the way a team member is performing it could be because you've never clearly communicated their role, nor coached them on attributes you'd like to see improvements in.

Like any good relationship, communication is key.