Big bosses sit and decide on what they are willing to share with people.
Grab the chance to show the company what you can do for it.
Since you have a new boss, go sit with him and ask him to tell you what he thinks are the deliverables.
This morning, I received a notification from HR regarding starting the mid-year review. Basically, they want us to look at the objectives we set at the start of the year and indicate how far we have come. I am really feeling confused by all this.
You see, almost one year later, the HR team is yet to share what my real job description is.
The other day I was speaking with Shiro about it and she said, “I would not worry too much about it.” I was taken aback by this and said “appraisals affect everything — your salary, your bonus, your life.”
She laughed and said: “You know the big bosses sit and decide on what they are willing to share with people — it has nothing to do with how hard you think you have worked.”
Sometimes I think that too but I dared not admit it to Shiro so I asked, “What do you suggest I do?” She said: “Since you have a new boss, go sit with him and ask him to tell you what he thinks are the deliverables so that we have no grey areas.” It sounded like good advice so the next day I scheduled a meeting with the CEO to discuss my objectives and maybe review for the year.
I decided to start off by ‘setting the scene’ and telling him about my current predicament where I am ‘double hatting with no clear direction.’ You can imagine my shock when he told me how I need to ‘see that as an opportunity.’
He then proceeded to lecture me for about half an hour, telling me how I need to “grab the chance to show the company what you can do for it.”
I frankly wanted to tell him that the confusion is not good for anyone’s career but I realised that I would not win this battle. So, I pretended to agree with him while recalling my conversation with Shiro where she told me that I need to get another job.
Since I had to complete the HR process, I had the dreaded conversation with the CEO and ended up with five objectives for the year — and based on his views, I have my work cut out for me.
I felt having achieved after that process because I knew the HR manager would stop harassing me and making me feel like a failure. I was getting down to my work when my phone rang; it was Karimi.
I have been avoiding her in the last couple of months mainly because I do not want drama. I even changed my hours at the gym so I do not accidentally bump into her.
She sounded lively on the phone and said, “Darling, I have to meet you.” Cautiously I said, “But we can chat on phone.” She laughed and said, “I know we can but I brought you something from Dubai and so I need to present it to you.”
Like any human being, I love free things. So I showed up on time to meet Karimi at a posh pub in Nairobi. I must say the gym has done wonders for her; she looked good and every man stared at her.
She spent the next half hour telling me about her life; how she now has two shops where she sells clothes and beauty products, making “mad cash.”
She laughed and said that her “sponsor provided the seed capital and the rest is history.” She insisted on buying me drinks for “being her mentor and rock.”
That is how I ended up home very drunk at midnight and with a swanky new phone thanks to Karimi. Life is not so bad after all.
