How To Avoid A PIP

Prevention is the best cure, so let’s talk about what steps you should take to avoid a PIP. The #1 thing you can do is get high-quality feedback from the people you work with. The issue is that most tech workers are horrible at asking for feedback in a way that actually gets them something substantive.

Your guiding principle should be to make it easy to receive feedback, especially constructive feedback.

Here’s a system you should employ to get high-quality feedback: 

• Schedule dedicated “feedback 1:1s” with key people: manager, XFN partners
• Write down what they say
• Follow up: short-term and long-term

A PIP should never be a surprise, and yet it often Is. This system will prevent you from being negatively surprised. With a manager, you ask how you’re trending and discuss a hypothetical rating, broken down by the axes of evaluation at your company.

We also cover two examples of proactively addressing concerns with your manager.