Your yearly appraisal, with your manager across the table
For the yearly appraisal: your neat everyday work clothes, hair as you like it, and the move of sitting back with three written wins and sharing them first.
- autopilot
- hermes
- work
The invite says "Annual review, 4 pm". It is easy to spend the days before it worrying that your mind will go blank in that chair.
So do not leave it to memory. Write it down, and let the page do the remembering.
The look
Wear what you wear on a good work day, one notch neater. Two ways to do it:
- Modest: a pressed kurta in a solid colour you like, with straight trousers or leggings.
- Modern: a plain shirt, ironed, with trousers, or a simple blazer if you already own one.
Keep the colour one you have worn before and felt like yourself in. Wear your hair the way you like it best. If it stays put without you touching it, that is the right style.
One small detail: a notebook and a pen you like, in your hand as you walk in. Nothing else to carry.
The one confidence move
Before the meeting, write three things you are proud of from this year. Put one number beside each, such as how many, how fast, or how much. A number is easy to say out loud when your nerves are loud.
When you walk in, sit all the way back in the chair. Keep both feet flat on the floor. Open the notebook and rest it on your lap or the table. Then wait one second before you speak. That second is yours.
What to say first
Say this before your manager starts:
Before we start, can I share three things I'm proud of this year?
Then read your three wins from the page, one at a time. You do not have to look up after each one.
If it goes sideways
Sometimes the feedback stings. It may be something you did not expect. Do not start defending. Take a breath and ask:
Can you give me an example?
This is a calm question, and it turns a vague comment into something you can act on. Write the example down. You can think about it tonight, not in the room.
One thing to try today
Sit with your notebook for ten minutes this evening. Write your three wins for this year, and one number beside each. Then read them out loud once, sitting back with both feet down, so the words are not strange to you when the day comes.
Each Sunday: one moment coming up this week, the look for it and the one line to say first. Find the one-page cards at /moments.
One moment a week.
Each Sunday: one moment coming up this week, the look for it and the one line to say first. One click stops it, and the list is never sold or shared.