It’s the middle of the year and a time when many companies will do their mid-year performance feedback or even an annual performance review. Sitting down and receiving a performance review and the feedback that comes from it is never easy. As much as we all want to say that we are open to any and all feedback and reviews, when we are sitting there our hands get a little clammy and our breath shortens a bit and we do all we can to not become defensive when we hear things that we don’t agree with or feels unsubstantiated. The hardest part about all of this is that we always see ourselves different than others and sometimes we aren’t in touch at all with the perception of our boss or peers. So, when we have a sit down and we hear things that we don’t want to hear or we hear something new, then we tend to clam up, get defensive and try to argue and countermand what is being said. The truth is that many times we deserve the feedback and if we would only be open to listening and taking it all in for adjustments, then we actually might learn something new about ourselves that we didn’t know before. The best way to gauge what is actual is to compare the feedback with the actions and results for the period being evaluated. What we don’t always factor in is the real actions that did or didn’t drive results. We get so caught up in our efforts that we lose our objectivity. We would be best to follow and listen to God’s words in Jeremiah 17:10: “I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.” If we can accept that our actions are the driver of our rewards then there never should be any reason to fear or be concerned by performance feedback. Even in our performance reviews, God gives us a way to think and react. Who says that God can’t come to work with us every day!

Reference: Jeremiah 17:10 (New Living Testament)