Making Sense of Performance Nonsense

StrangeTony,

I received my performance review yesterday.   It was plain and simple a character assassination, crudely crafted with no supporting information.  The harshest of words were not spoken but planted like a cluster bomblet to come across later.  A year's worth of hard work had been effectively reduced to two sentences.

"You are to check your mind at the door.  Your thoughts, opinions, knowledge and experience are expressly not wanted here."

Later that day a co-worker sent me a handwritten note.  It said:

"I received your thank-you note and words of appreciation.  Very thoughtful and kind of you, so freely given.  It is yet another example of the difference between Law and Spirit.  When extrinsic Law is twisted or absent, Spirit can still work its magic, welling up from within.

You are the one deserving of thanks, for noticing a need and building another bridge to facilitate the addressing of that need.  To me the process you fostered is the true supervision, the "epi-scopos" of early Christian communities.  It was to be a service, not a dominion.  As we've discussed many times, our society's companies are drunk on authoritarian pyramid which uses money and dismissal as its shackles and lashes.  All the more insidious today in its sheep's clothing of shiny websites and hollow mission statements.

Thank you for taking the lonely path of the Hero.  It doesn't matter whether it holds you in hospice or leads you elsewhere; it's golden and God-breathed, and it's in your blood and bones.  Peace, friend!"

My true performance feedback arose from someone I work alongside in the service of others.  That I will treasure in contrast to the nonsense from the person I report to in the organizational chart.  I cut their's into perforated strips with segments sized roughly four inches by four inches.  That way I can properly recycle the material.

Anonymous (from Gentiva a Kindred company)