Category — Business

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I think Ed Lee hit the nail when he recently blogged about the Annual Review keeping the FH Bloggers from, well blogging. I’m told to spend no more than a few hours on preparing my self assessment, anything more is too much. I think in total, I’ve worked on/thought about my self assessment for at least 15 or more hours. I just turned it in last night but am still thinking about it and probably will continue to for the next few weeks.

I think it’s an annual process that shouldn’t be taken lightly. You’re reflecting on an entire year and forecasting out an entire year. I think that takes a lot more then just a few hours. It can be draining and daunting but is imperative to determining your next move. I conduct a SWOT on myself and a Situation Analysis on me within the company and my group every year at this time. It’s defined as:

A strategic planning tool used to evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats involved in a project or in a business venture or in any other situation of an organization or individual requiring a decision in pursuit of an objective.

I think it’s an eye opening habit that is vital. Taking inventory of strengths and weaknesses is necessary when determining your SWOT, and your Situation Analysis is important in determining if you can accomplish your goals. (Must be all of those years in Marketing speaking.) After you’re done you can feel great about the situation you’re in and where you see yourself going. However, the opposite can be said as well. It can be devastating to see on paper the situation you’ve allowed yourself to get in.

I think a good source for tips and ideas is David Maister’s blog. Here’s one of my favorite pieces he’s done on you and your career.

Annual reviews can be draining, and I think it’s important to take them seriously, and spend more then just a few hours on them. After the next few weeks I plan to see FH’ers blogging more. Hopefully we all come out of our annual reviews feeling charged and ready to accomplish our goals.

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There’s a new viral video that seems to be popping up everywhere I look lately. Is it really a Microsoft corporate video though? My only thought is that they’re targeting this video towards Yuppies and Hipsters that are big on viral videos and social networking sites (mainly where I’ve seen it). Just check out the comments on the YouTube site. The message is unclear. Why are so many companies trying to hide who they are in their marketing techniques lately.

With all of the Apple computer commercials showing Microsoft as old and inflexible, is this their anti-Apple video? It is nothing like the Apple commercials and to me makes Microsoft look like they’re trying too hard to be hip. Is it really them though or another Apple type company trying to make Microsoft look even more un-hip then they’re already perceived by the younger generations?

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Everyone knows about the corporate ladder in their company. In some companies they know the timeline for going up each step. The titles you go through at a steady pace, sometimes being held back, and sometimes jumping up a few notches at once. All dictated by the company you’re at and the executive board that runs that company. Many times how they were treated will impact how you’re treated on the way up the corporate ladder. My age has me question how seriously people take me, why am I put on certain projects, and am I actually growing or just standing still?

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