Question 1 - Using your own job (current or past) and briefly discuss how your

performance was managed and evaluated.

Currently, I work as a regional sales leader for an Open-Source software company and as
a sales person, I undergo quarterly evaluations. The process includes the drawing up
targets and task cards with the factual results and the plans for the upcoming quarter. A
task card includes strategic tasks (the tasks, which allowed launching new processes or
substantially optimizing the current ones) and operational tasks (regular tasks). Every
senior manager within the sales division has access to all sales team’s task card, to
enable them see the tasks assigned sales roles and plan resources accordingly. Then,
every senior manager has a vote to assess performance of other peers, which he/she
presents and will explain during quarterly meetings. The final part of the evaluation is a
meeting with the EMEA sales director, during which a manager receives the overall
feedback as an expert and a manager. Thus, my performance is evaluated by my peers
and my senior sales manager.

Question 2 - Using your experience, consider the three most important job duties
and design three (3) objectives or measurements using the SMART method.
Having spent the past decade and half (fifteen years) in software technology sales, my
top three job duties are the
following:

1. Increase my knowledge of the organization’s product and service offering.

2. Identify executive sponsors, create and maintain C-Level executive relationships to
position the values of our organization
3. Sell, Upsell and Cross-sell into commercial accounts that I look after to help them
transform digitally while growing our market and wallet share.

SMART is a method that provides a description, which is specific, measurable,

achievable,
relevant and time-bound (Spacey, 2018). According to SMART, three key objectives for a
regional sales leader would be:

1. To identify a list of 10 (measurable) viable focus commercial accounts (specific,

achievable and relevant) in my region of focus and grow knowledge of such customers
business, industry, regulatory policies, challenges before the end of the quarter (time-
bound).
2. Establish C-level and technical relationship within each of the select focus account to
identify with the leader’s intent (measurable, achievable and relevant) and technological
needs that will translate into sales opportunities (specific) before the end of each
quarter and financial year.
3. Drive sales and marketing initiatives (relevant) across the region of focus to expand
brand recognition as well as to improve sales closure (specific) to enable one meet and
over-achieve quarterly and annual sales targets (time-bound).

Question 3 - Once you’ve done this, discuss your experience using this method.
Did you find it difficult? Why or why not?
This method helps clarify the task as it provides the key measures of performance:
- Specific details;
- How it can be measured;
- Whether the goal is achievable or not;
- Whether it is relevant due to the expertise and resources;
- The deadline for the task.
All of the above helps formulate and control a task at any stages, so that, the
assessment of the
performance would be optimally fair. This method made me look at the task setting, and
performance evaluation from different perspectives, as very often tasks/goals cannot be
achievable due to the incorrect/insufficient description and inapproachable criteria.

REFERENCES
Spacey, J. (2018). 11 Examples of Smart Objectives.
Retrieved from: https://simplicable.com/new/smart-objectives