Am I Doing A Good Job?

Everyone loves to get praise for a job well done. It's an innate human desire to be recognized for hard work. Great leaders know the value of a few intentional words and the positive impact it can have on their worker's motivation. Positive and specific feedback can help a person or team's confidence, and it will motivate them to continue performing and growing.

Likewise, as we all know, a few negative and flippant words can destroy a person's self-assurance and kill motivation. That shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. But what do you do if you are not getting any feedback from your manager? Do you simply assume that no news is good news and keep plugging along? Do you assume the worst and walk on egg shells anytime you are around your manager? Regardless of what assumptions you make about the situation, we can all agree that this Limbo is a frustrating place to be.

I recently ran into this situation with a consultant. For the sake of privacy, let's call her Gladys. Gladys was extremely frustrated by the lack of direct feedback from her manager; let's call him Tom. I knew Gladys was doing a great job because Tom told me earlier when I asked him, but she had no idea if he liked her work or not. This breakdown in communication was creating an additional stress for Gladys that could have easily been avoided. As I talked through her situation, I began to realize 3 possible indicators to tell if you are doing well or not. Don’t take these as Gospel, but use them as a sort of litmus test.

1. Does your manager give you more responsibility? Chances are --- your manager isn't going to be putting more high value tasks in your lap if you aren't performing with your current work. Your manager may not tell you, "Great job, here's more," but it may well be what they are communicating. Gladys was recently asked to go beyond her original task and create an action plan for an analysis she did. More responsibility usually means your boss likes your work so far.
2. Are you being given a longer "leash"? For Gladys, she just transitioned to remote work (which is a first for the team that she is on). There is clearly a trust that exists for employees working remote. If Gladys were under-performing, then I am sure remote work would be off the table. For you, it may not be remote work necessarily, but is your boss giving you more bandwidth to make decisions? Are you becoming more autonomous at work? These things are likely indicators that your boss trusts your work and your integrity.
3. Is your boss introducing you to more people inside and outside of the organization? Gladys recently had her first meeting with upper management at this organization so that she could present a report she had developed. This is something that her boss could easily have done himself, but she was invited to this meeting and got some face time with some important decision makers. Is your boss giving you opportunities to take credit for work? Are you meeting new people? If you are, then you are probably doing okay. You represent your manager and your organization, so if you get to speak as a representative, then you are probably doing just fine.

You may not always get a pat on the back or a "Great Job!" But regardless of what your boss says about your work, how they react to your work is a better indicator of their true thoughts. If your manager is not the type of person to give feedback, then keep an eye out for some of these signs that show they trust you and trust your work. And at the end of the day, you may just want to talk with your manager about your performance. Ask them for honest feedback. It shows initiative and an honest desire to grow and improve. If there is something that needs work, they will hopefully let you know. If you have been doing a great job, then hopefully they will let you know as well.

Try not to overthink every little thing, take a step back to observe the situation, and be honest with where you are. You aren't the first person to think those thoughts, and you surely won't be the last.

The opinions expressed on this site are my own and do not necessarily represent the views of Intellectual Capitol.