The 'Quan'time

It's that time of the year again. When we all (at least the salaried part of us) are half full. Half full of anticipation. The other half is actually full of dread, despair and anything else that might give you a nervous disposition. But being the positive, optimistic kind of guy I am, I will stick with the half full part. Anyway coming back, if you are salaried, if you report to a boss, if you travel distances, that any normal, sane human being would consider to be cross country distances, to reach your desk, you would have understood what I am talking about. Appraisal!! You might be the cynosure of all eyes in your team (or project or module or whatever you are grouped as) but unless you are the guy doing it, that three syllable word is sure to see you sweat more than a little in office. All of a sudden, you wonder if your boss remembers that small but important contribution you made to that project some 9 months back. You start thinking if you have sufficiently highlighted your role in that huge 40 person team you work in. You start thinking about the various big, small and even microscopic things that might show you off in a better light than your team mates, because you are being compared against them. What we all want from the appraisal is the same. More money. If it comes with a promotion, that's a bonus, but what we are actually saying is 'Show me the Quan' (expression borrowed from Rod Tidwell, of Jerry Maguire fame!). And how much of that 'Quan' is going to find its way to your bank account at the end of the month depends on how your appraiser thinks of you with relation to the rest of the group. And the better you compare against them, the better your chances of seeing the 'Quan' flow. And that is what the anticipation is all about.

So, to all of you waiting in anticipation, nervously, all the very best. Hope you all get whatever you anticipate. I am off to calm myself down by feasting on my finger nails. Ciao.