Vijay wanted to talk urgently because of his upcoming performance review.
He was getting pretty anxious and wound up about it, not least because the CEO would be attending, as he does for all senior level reviews.
So far, none had gone well. In fact, most people had been torn apart. This CEO has form.
Here’s a summary of the situation Vijay shared with me at the beginning of our call last Wednesday evening.
- “The CEO is going to be joining via conference call. He said last week that so far, not a single person had been able to describe the company strategy, or even their own key objectives.”
- “My boss, the CIO, will be in the room with me. He’s fairly new and is always trying to look good in front of the CEO. He is responsible for Europe and my accounts make up 80% of the region. He’s not been able to grow new business, so he is getting desperate.”
- “The COO from the US will also be on the call. He’s pretty new and I don’t think he is really that interested. But, since his people deliver for my accounts, I guess he has an interest.”
- “And HR will also be joining the call because it’s a new process and they are keen to make sure it is working.”
- “The CEO always likes to take credit for all the accounts, my accounts, so if I say that I’ve saved [xxx] account, he’ll just say that was down to him not me.”
- “He also likes to keep everyone on their toes, and it pretty brutal at times. Well, all the time, with everyone.”
“So, your annual performance review will be with your boss in the London office and three others joining via conference call?”
“Yes.”
So, we got to work.
Over the next half hour we threw around the ideas, considered the options.
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I reminded Vijay of some of his recent successes. Where he had tried something different to good effect. Things like the “So what?” of confidence. Flexing his style to suit different adversarial stakeholders. Standing his ground. Becoming more objective. Building his career vision and purpose.
Vijay has come a long way in the few months we have been working together. Yet, when the pressure suddenly arrives, progress is easily forgotten. Which is why it is useful to have someone to remind you.
Anyway, during the discussion Vijay arrived at a clear strategy for the upcoming review. He had a little preparation to do, but ended the call feeling far more confident and at ease with what was to follow in just 2 days’ time.
I’m not going to share the detail of the strategy he arrived at – that’s private.
The purpose of sharing this is simply to give you just one example of the varied topics I support my Private Clients with.
And the result of this particular call?
“Colin, had really good appraisal with CEO, COO, HR and my boss. More when we speak next. Regards.”
Busy guy. That’s okay, it’s normal at this level. I can’t wait to hear the detail on our next call.
Case Study Disclaimer
The purpose of this case study is to provide relevant inspiration to those in similar positions. Although this article is based on a real client, they have been completely disguised, and information has been changed to protect their anonymity. This has been done with the explicit approval of the individual concerned.
Colin Gautrey
Provocative Coach/Mentor | Specialism: Impact and Influence
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