One issue that is frequently presented in the work that I do with executive women focuses on performance planning. In many organizations, October and November mark the commencement of performance consultations with staff. Here are 3 strategies you can use as you prepare for your planning sessions with your direct supervisor:

1. Be prepared with concrete data, including financial data that demonstrates your work in the past 12 months. Many employees attend planning sessions with results achieved, but very few take the time to connect their results back to the company’s business strategy in terms of actual dollars – dollars generated in revenue, dollars saved, etc. So, in addition to generating a list of great achievements, take the extra step to show how you have had an impact on the organization’s bottom line.
2. Ask for challenging assignments - don’t wait for your supervisor to create the learning opportunity. You’ll need to be familiar with the corporate strategy and specific targets the organization and your department will need to achieve. Tie your own career aspirations into challenging projects or assignments that support the organization. Where appropriate, ask for assignments that include some form of working with numbers – a budget, costs, tracking statistics, etc. to give you experience with numbers (this helps with number 1 for next year too!).
3. Think 2 position titles ahead. Give some thought to the next 2 positions in the company that you are striving for and ask for specific feedback about what you will need to do to get there with a realistic timeframe.

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