Try to stay calm and positive. It is all too easy to imagine horrible confrontations and get stuck in a negative mind-set. Your manager is probably dreading the meeting too – unless you are a complete superstar with no performance problems at all… and even then your boss will be nervous that you are going to ask for a huge pay rise.
A year earlier you should have agreed and been given a list of performance goals and targets – possibly called “stretch targets” – which were to provide the framework for your activities in the last twelve months. Run through the list again now, and ask yourself objectively how well you think you have done against them. Dig up the evidence that confirms which targets you have met or surpassed. Testimonials from delighted customers or amazed colleagues could help.
In essence what you are doing in advance of this meeting is preparing a positive case for yourself, and why you deserve a performance reward. In the worst case you are building a case for your defence, finding solid reasons why things may not have gone so well.
