The Performance Appraisal

The Performance Appraisal

You had a good run. But everyone left sooner or later. You hoped you had more time, but you were called anyway. You could see it coming but you still held out hope for more time. There were things you wanted to accomplish yet, something to establish your name, a legacy kind of.

It was performance appraisal time. You knew it was time for yours. You got one, just like everyone else did. Right when you left. It didn’t matter whether you were in the middle of a project or not. Everything was just left where you left it.

It didn’t matter how long you had been around either. Sometimes it was the first day, sometimes after a long tour. You could be part of a group or a solo performer, a quiet one or a loud one. It didn’t matter. Your contribution was done, over, finished. You might have wanted more time to tidy things up a bit, it didn’t matter. Time was up.

I was called right in middle of something. Right now I can’t remember just what it was, but it was important to me. I was happy with it and looking forward to finishing it well, as I remember. It doesn’t matter now. Whatever it was, someone else either finished it or put it away or threw it away.

Anyway, when I got there I didn’t have to wait. No Sir! I was the center of attention. He was waiting and seemed to be very relaxed and friendly. I hadn’t seen him around before and thought he might have been brought in from the outside, a consultant type. From his manner, I guessed he had done this a lot.

We went over the things I had done during my stay. He was familiar with my work. I was looking for a good recommendation for my next placement and tried to paint everything better than it was.

Some things I was very proud of and said so. Some things that were not so good, I tried to make excuses for, but it didn’t work. He was prepared and seemed to know a lot about me without referring to notes either. The stuff I’d really screwed up was brought up also. Even things from when I first started here, things that I had forgotten about.

Then we got down to brass tacks. Did I follow the Mission Statement? Had I followed the accepted protocols and procedures?

Had I ‘shared the vision’ as they say? Had I slacked and wasted my time here? We got through the easy stuff quickly. When we reviewed the hard stuff, you know, where you have to make a judgment call, where there was no precedent or you had no experience to fall back on, when you could take the easy way because no one was looking, that’s when things got dicey.

I hoped things were going well, but you never can tell. In the end I caved and asked for a pass.

He said everything hung on my answers to some questions. I reminded him I had always considered my self to have served loyally with a few exceptions.

He ignored my remark.

Then he said:

Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me. Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’  And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’