So last week I had an evaluation at work. It is typical for my anxiety to go through the roof when I have to meet one-on-one with a boss, and this wasn't any different.
One thing I did differently this time: I prayed.
It wasn't a super religious prayer. It wasn't even complicated. I simply asked God to help me listen to my boss so I can see how I can be a better employee. That's it. Then we headed to my eval.
He asked me if I was nervous. I just smiled and said, "Nah, not really." (TOTALLY LYING, SORRY J. I WAS PANICKING.) He just responded with, "Huh, normally people dread these things."
We grab a coffee at a nearby cafe and sit down to discuss my short time at the office. It was actually pretty pleasant, and I knew that whatever he told me I needed to take with a grain of salt and see it as an opportunity to perform my designer-ly duties better.
Shockingly enough, my evaluation was great! I met all expectations of my job performance and I even went beyond expectations. He told me he was impressed by my interest in all of our projects and clients, and admired my willingness to learn more about the projects I was working on. I also got a beyond performance on listening, receiving, and conveying information and direction as well as working cooperatively with others.
I do have some goals that I want to work on in the next 9 months. I want to take more initiative in projects that are discussed but never started. I think design projects are often put on the back burner because people want to spruce things up or do something fun but get stuck with ideas on what to do visually. I'm hopeful that these initiatives will help me increase my creative thinking and problem solving by working on projects without being told exactly what to design and giving myself more creative freedom.
Another goal is to learn more about the programs I'm working with. I have at least 25 programs that I work with through the University and I know a bit about some of them, but I want to know more. This will help me get to know my clients and it will also help me better design projects with the right content in mind.
All in all, I am so grateful that my job is going well and that I enjoy doing what I do. I couldn't be where I am today or do the things I do without the help of my friends and family. I used to be so afraid to confront my character defects and not look at what I could do different. I used to blame others for my wrong doings. Today I don't have to do that and it feels good to keep my side of the street clean!
