In most companies, the month of June would be a period when mid-year performance reviews would be conducted to assess an employee’s performance against his goals that had been set for him or her at the beginning of the year.
This period would generally be stressful for most managers rushing to complete their one-on-one performance review meetings with their staff within the month, amidst their mounting workload However, it would also be equally stressful for the employees who were forced to have conversations about what they had or had not achieved, obstacles put in front of them that had prevented them from achieving their targets perhaps, and resources needed to assist the employees to get their jobs done on time and on target.
Guidance From Tarot To Navigate A Performance Review Session
My client Allen (name has been changed to protect his privacy) called me last week to get some guidance on how he could manage his mid year performance review session with his boss. He was an extremely busy and high-flying executive, assuming a mid to senior level position at a financial MNC. He told me he had no time to do a detailed face to face reading with me as he was juggling business travels, mid-year targets whilst managing his team, However, he was clearly worried about his upcoming performance review with his Global Director of Sales. Apparently, while he managed to meet his sales targets for the first half of the financial year, he was having problems getting along with his peers and some of his staff. He was worried that the in-office conflicts and politics would affect his boss’ perception of him, thus impacting his performance review.
So, using my Morgan Greer Tarot deck created by Bill Greer and Lloyd Morgan, I did a customized Tarot spread and provided a birds eye view of the situation, using one-word meanings per card. I called this the Nail That Difficult Meeting Tarot Spread. It can be used for any difficult meetings with anyone, not just bosses. The one I did here was done over the phone for Allen in 15 minutes…yes I think you can now address me as “Quick Draw McGraw”. You might notice that the spread was interpreted like a mathematical equation. That was half the fun.
Nail That Difficult Meeting Tarot Spread
1) What can Allen expect out of the meeting?
Hierophant +7 of Wands + Hermit reversed =
Conservative + Perseverance + Withdrawn
Interpretation: Allen’s boss would expect him to be respectful of him as the manager attempting to coach him, while allowing Allen to defend his point of view. Allen should ensure there is some respectful distance and he should craft his words carefully so that his boss can fully appreciate his stand. There might be moments that Allen would be required to try to reflect upon the advice of his boss and acknowledge that the discussion might serve to better his work.
2) How should Allen manage the session?
Knight of Swords Reversed + King of Cups Reversed + Tower Reversed = Reckless + Emotional + Resistance
Interpretation: Whoa! All the cards that showed up were reversed cards! Allen needed to approach the session with composure and moderation. He should not flare up at the heat of the moment and he should not be impulsive or hostile during the conversation. Most importantly Allen must be open-minded about his boss’ suggestions or advice. If his boss effected any changes to the way Allen worked, he should not be resistant to these changes, but adapt to these changes as an opportunity to make improvements.
3) What did Allen’s boss thought of him and his work?
2 of Cups + Page of Swords + 2 of Pentacles =
Passionate + Energetic + Prioritization
Interpretation: These are relatively positive cards. Allen’s boss acknowledged that Allen was a passionate worker who loved his job and always did his best to manage his projects with enthusiasm. Being passionate, he was also a communicative and assertive worker, who had no qualms articulating what he wanted out of his staff, while extracting the best out of them through his well-thought-through plans. He might be too assertive though. However, Allen was given a very wide portfolio and had to learn to prioritize his tasks as he had increasingly become quite bogged down with multiple projects. In doing so, Allen had to learn not to assume every responsibility but to delegate better.
4) What could Allen hope to take away from this review?
Magician + 3 of Pentacles + 2 of Wands =
Potential + Teamwork + Planning
Interpretation: Allen could be assured that the review would be a constructive one. With a boss that clearly appreciated Allen’s skills and who was genuinely concerned for his career growth, Allen could come out of the review session with even more fervor to maximize his skills and potential to work towards his goals. Also, Allen would need to learn to cooperate with his peers better. By leveraging on their skills to fill his gaps, he could definitely make even more progress with his plans to succeed in the company.
I called Allen this morning to ask him how his meeting with his boss went yesterday. Allen happily gave me a run-down of what had transpired. He said that I was accurate about how it all panned out and was even amazed that his boss took the advice-centric approach to managing his issues with his peers. This gave Allen an opportunity to make some changes to how he would deal with them in the future and perhaps by “winning” them over, he was hopeful that his year-end targets would be met.
About The Writer:
The writer of this blog post is a marketeer by trade, and a tarot card reader by accident. She has a Certified Professional Tarot Reader qualification from the Tarot Certification Board of America (TCBA) and is also a certified numerologist based in Singapore. A member of the American Tarot Association (ATA) and the Tarot Association of the British Isles (TABI), she is also a reader for the Free Tarot Network and Biddy Tarot as well as a mentor for the ATA. She can be contacted at www.facebook.com/SunGoddessTarot
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