career: June 2008 Archives

It's been a bit since I've had something to say. More than anything, I've been tired. The family moved into a new house, both my wife and I got sick, and my son...well...he continued on with his life of awesomeness. But I digress.

It's annual review time again! Like every year before this, I struggled to fill out my portion of the review. It used to be an issue of an inability to (a) remember what the hell I did the last year, (b) not focus on my failings, and (c) not come across as an arrogant asshole. Now, there's still the issue of remembering what I did, but I find myself walking the thin line of honesty and self-promotion. I've never been a self-promoter. Not my style. But over the last year, I've worked towards being able to allow myself to take credit for my success, and also take accountability for my mistakes. And doing so, I've made very few mistakes.

Isn't that where it's at? I mean, no one likes to admit they're wrong. But if you don't ever do it, you'll never see why you're making mistakes, and you'll never correct the behavior to move forward.

Each of my reviews I've had since taking my current position have gone really well. This one is no different. The raises have been sizable (esp. considering the current market), and more importantly, the feedback and communication has been transparent. I know where I am, I know what my boss thinks of me, and we are working together. It's a good feeling to know that we're all on the same page.

This originally appears as a guest post at the Home Office Warrior.

In walking to the parking garage with a co-worker recently, the conversation turned to telecommuters. At some point, the mention of the “office camaraderie” and friends at the office was mentioned, and how those working from home were missing out. In my usual fashion, I made a sarcastic comment, “I’d like to think that I am more qualified and better at choosing my friends than HR. Furthermore, I’d hope that HR has the job description in mind more than my preferences on music and cigars.” We got to our respective vehicles, and went about our lives. But the conversation still stuck in my head. Where did the idea of the “office friend” come from? Why do people think it is so important?