“A number of top managers engage in indirect communication or even delivery messages via third parties…A lot of bosses manage by hinting around [about you or your performance].”

Now that’s a scary statement. Peers can also give career-derailing cues too? Bosses hide their subtle messages in performance evaluations?

Hidden Meanings in Performance Evaluations

Do you need a secret decoder ring to understand these “indirect communications?” No. You can read Black Enterprise’s article, “Cues we miss: how black women can improve their opportunities in the workplace” by Laura Egodigwe.

Egodigwe identifies typical cues that you maybe missing in your job, causing you to miss opportunities or worse, realize that you are in jeopardy. Here’s her quick list of career-derailing cues:

1. Work social gatherings: you’re invited to a gathering that you think is optional, only to find out that your presence was missed by higher ups. A third party, communicating for the higher ups, delivers the message that “they noticed you were absent.”
2. Performance evaluations: subtle messages can come in praise, but buried in your evaluation as “one little thing.” This “little thing” is often missed as an important cue.
3. Decline in workload: all of a sudden you’re workload is lighter. You’re job functions are transferred to someone else. Before you know it, you’re positions eliminated.
4. Co-workers and direct reports: peers and reports don’t invite you to lunch, where important information is exchanged. This cue signals that you may be difficult to work with or direct reports have a problem with your authority.

Action Plan to Avoid Miscues, Keeping Your Career on Track

Egodigwe outlines a four-point action plan to avoid miscues so you can keep your career from derailing:

1. Ask for feedback: ask clients, customers, constituents, and colleagues what more or less you could be doing to be more effective. Think 360-degree feedback so you can course correct.
2. Understand corporate politics: build relationships. It’s not enough to get the job done, even if it’s done well. Develop varying types of relationships that gives you insight into you environment or your job. However, you have to balance this with look scared or needy. Keep up a calm, brave face even if you are scared and needy.
3. Build and market your personal brand: see yourself as a brand. Market it, get feedback on it, define it, improve it, and sell it.
4. Foster communication: If you’re a boss, creative an environment that allows your direct reports to give constructive criticism. If you’re a direct report, use your own subtle cues to demonstrate that you “get it” and that you’re working on it.

What If You See the Cues?

This article reminded me of one of my former jobs. In fact, I had a tiny pang of hurt,after I read it. I once saw the cues of my decreased workload, as I transitioned from my job functions. Over the course of a few months, a consultant was brought in to fix our process. Through intuition, I knew  that my job was on the line. I didn’t say anything political during the consultant’s meeting with me, because I could see the warning signs. Before I knew it, my COO and supervisor met with me, informing me know I was getting my annual bonus for my performance review, but that my job was being eliminated.

Exiting, Stage Right

I felt validated, because I knew that I wasn’t being paranoid. My teammates were shocked, while I wasn’t. I transitioned quickly out of the office, into my home office during my last two weeks. I documented all my processes, so the next guy could take over my work. I took pride in knowing that I created repeatable processes for others to follow.

However, I failed to email or call my original supporters, who also turned out to be the people letting me go. I regret this because I should have thanked them for the wonderful opportunity regardless of how things went down. Frankly, it was the best thing to happen to me. Looking back, I’m relieved that I saw the cues. I knew I couldn’t change the events in progress. If I had been in the COO’s shoes, I would have done the same thing.

There’s a Reason for Everything

Everything works out exactly as it is supposed to work out, so don’t despair if you are caught in a similar situation where you’re decoding cues that are subtle and meant for you. Keep your chin up, be reflective and philosophical, don’t say anything that you’ll regret, and then exit with grace. That’s all you can do. Also, look forward to the future because there’s something very special waiting for you. You just can’t see it yet.

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