In-House Counsel

The Road Not Taken: Give Them The Old Razzle Dazzle

The difference between bragging and informing is that informing is based on facts. You probably do a lot of work in the year, so keep track of it.

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As the end of the year approaches, performance reviews are getting scheduled and employees are preparing their cases as to why they deserve more. Some people find this annual practice distasteful and believe their work should speak for itself. After all, don’t we all know that if you do good work it will be noticed and you will be appropriately rewarded?  Don’t we know that?

No, we don’t know that. We don’t know it because it isn’t true. First, there is the issue that the person doing the noticing does use the same yardstick everyone. Whether for reasons of personal rapport, external relationships with others, or simple preferences, subjective judgment is just that: subjective. If you aren’t measured by the more favorable measuring stick, your good work will not be as noticed and appreciated as the work done by somebody measured by more generous criteria. It isn’t right, it isn’t fair, but it is.

Generally, law does not lend itself to easily isolated and objective metrics. Furthermore, there are so many variables in what we do, most of which we do not control. Some wins are easy because the facts are favorable and fortune falls in our favor. Some less than ideal results are the unfortunate consequence of hard-fought and impressive labors. Add to that the subjective preferences of how each lawyer practices and specific client requirements, and what could be an example of a perfect deliverable to one lawyer could be an incomplete embarrassment to another. Without objective metrics, we are responsible for explaining the value of the work we do. That isn’t bragging, it is informing.

Furthermore, nobody cares more about what you are doing than you. Nobody knows what they should be noticing unless you tell them. So you have to tell them. Direct their attention in the right direction. Explain why your efforts were valuable to the project and how you got a result that defied odds of some kind.

The difference between bragging and informing is that informing is based on facts. You probably do a lot of work in the year, so keep track of it. Not just the “what” but also the “how.” Make it easy for yourself to articulate what you’ve done well and why. Even if the result wasn’t obviously spectacular, you can highlight the value you brought to the effort. This is helpful for the formal review process, but it is also valuable throughout the year when you have an opportunity to talk about your work with others. Instead of minimizing the hard work you are doing by staying silent about your efforts, you can mold the measuring stick used to define your work. When you have meetings, moments in elevators, or are updating on other matters, you can find ways to advise your colleagues and supervisors of what you are doing well. This way, your performance evaluation at the end of the year isn’t a total  surprise (either to you or to your supervisor).

Celeste Harrison Forst has practiced in small and mid-sized firms and is now in-house at a large manufacturing and technology company where she receives daily hugs from her colleagues. You can reach Celeste directly at [email protected].

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