What do I do if my manager will not commit to performance criteria?

Question

Historically, my managers have never been willing to commit to a set of performance criteria (i.e. what it looks like to meet criteria, exceed criteria, or be promoted). They usually defer to company guidelines without specifying what I can do on my project that would meet their bar. I get it, as they want to hedge their bets and motivate me without committing to anything. My career has gone well anyway and I ultimately get good enough reviews and periodic promotions. However, I often get feedback that high performance or promotions require me to do things that I am already doing and including in my review. I do not know what else to do to get stellar reviews.

I have been asked to lead a large, risky, technically challenging project with a scope and time horizon significantly beyond my level. The project sounds interesting but like a huge amount of work and stress. If I take on the role, I would like to be rewarded for it. Whether successful delivery leads to a promotion is a big factor in my decision. My manager will not commit to what succeeding in this project means for my career.

In general, is there a way to get more concrete criteria and commitments from managers? In this case specifically, what should I do?

Rahul Pandey · Accepted Answer

The best tactic here is to propose something in writing that your manager can get feedback on. It's much easier for people to critique than it is to create, so what you're doing here is giving your manager the ability to give feedback on your understanding of project success.

I would write down your understanding of the project and then document what it means for the project to meet, exceed, or greatly exceed expectations. Use both quantitative and qualitative ways to measure progress (e.g. "We move this metric by X%" and "This partner team trusts us entirely to deploy the service.").

I would keep this conversation focused on the impact for the team, not for your personal career. However, if your work has exceeded expectations for the team (and this is clearly documented), it follows that your personal career should benefit.

Your goal is to make this feel less like a formal contract about your performance, and more of a shared understanding about project success.

Kuan has some great thoughts about dealing with varying expectations here: When work doesn't map to Ladder Expectations what should you do?

What do I do if my manager will not commit to performance criteria?

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