Page 225 - MY STORY

The level of expectation score was highly influenced by

the individual’s position and pay. In other words — the
higher the position and pay the higher our expectations in
technical and leadership performance from that person.

Those appraisals were conducted in the quiet of my office,
in a written form that ends up in the employee’s record
file. The scoring also influenced the upcoming yearly pay

raises.

So — how in the world does one rate people who are

more educated, more intelligent, sometimes higher paid,
and more capable than the person performing the

appraisal? The following is a case-in-point

One senior scientist, Lou M, with a Doctorate in
Electromagnetic Theory and Practice, held a major

position in the McDonnell Douglas Research Labs
(MDRL) prior to our 1992 merger. He was “very highly

compensated” — in fact, his salary was greater than mine
and other directors by a goodly margin. That is not
uncommon in an organization staffed with senior

scientists and engineers. As a technical leader and people
manager, this person was superlative. His dedication and
performance led our organization of a few hundred

people into a leadership position in the eyes of certain