So I have my mid-year review this week. No big deal. No cash/stock at mid-year and no giant screw ups hiding under the carpet. We had this new 'Career Compass' which hasbeen described as an abomination to productivity. I found the whole thing pretty benign. It took a few hours to complete but was pretty inoffensive. In fact I did find some value in the tool - in terms of adding some different 'angles' for career self reflection. However: there was little new value as I'm fortunate to have a solid upper management team. For me the Career Compass felt like a tool to prop up crappy managers.

A general theme arose in our hallway discussions (usually devoted to stock price, the Cricket World Cup and the spooky replacement of internal PR posters which had some politically incorrect spelling) - that I should add a new commitment or career goal: Stay Out of Gaol. I like the idea. It is SMART (Specific, Measurable, Relevant and Time Based). I mean why would Microsoft want me in gaol?

So: to those Microserfs out there doing it tough with the Career Compass.... make the the most of it. Better to get some value of out it than 'suffering through it'. And remember: stay out of gaol!

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