Workplace Multiplier by Tola Akinsulire

August 12, 2025

Welcome to the Workplace Multiplier newsletter. Published Monday to Friday, equipping you to achieve your professional goals faster and without burnout or overwhelm by leveraging The Triple Win Method.

When You Get An Appraisal You Don't Like

Howdy ,

PS: Today's email is going to be the last for the week. I'm still feeling a bit under the weather and will be taking time off to recover. I expect to be back in full form next week.

Now onto today's edition.

You take your job seriously and work hard to deliver on whatever targets your manager sets for you. Perhaps you even suffer occasionally from tunnel vision that keeps you at work late into the night.

After all this effort, you expect that the next appraisal should earn you the promotion you think you deserve.

As it turns out, my career journey hasn't always unfolded that way. A few occasions, I've received appraisal outcomes I didn't like. So, what did I do?

I can't always say I responded well when this happened. A couple of times, I started with a few days of anger mixed with disappointment. Anger because part of me felt undervalued, and disappointment as self-doubt began to creep in.

So, what is the right response to an unfavorable appraisal outcome?

An appraisal outcome is first and foremost a perception of your capabilities and results from the perspective of those who evaluate you. Because it is a perception, it should not define you, rather, it should refine you.

But this sounds really nice when you get an appraisal outcome you like. Here are my thoughts based on having lived through the emotions of seemingly missed opportunities.

1. Your Career Is Bigger Than One Review

No matter what you think about your current role, your real accountability is to your long-term career vision and values. This means it's okay to acknowledge all your frustrations about the appraisal outcome.

The first step is recognizing the feelings of anger, disappointment, and any other emotions that come with the review. If these feelings aren't expressed and processed properly, they may evolve into bitterness toward your job, manager, or company.

Bitterness has a way of eating you alive and reducing your productivity even further.

Think of successful professionals who've faced setbacks; they didn't take out their frustrations on their teams or burn bridges. They found healthy ways to process their emotions while maintaining their professional relationships and reputation.

2. Evaluate Your Career Timeline and Priorities

There are different ways your career path unfolds—sometimes setbacks happen when things don't go as planned. The disappointing appraisal outcome could be a signal that it's time to pivot, or it might just be one of those challenges that come with building a successful career.

Just because you feel underappreciated doesn't mean you need to leave immediately.

It could be a wake-up call to refocus on what truly matters for your long-term success. The most important question to ask yourself is whether your current role still offers opportunities to grow in alignment with your career goals and values.

If it does, then frame this challenging appraisal as one of those experiences that come along the path of building a meaningful career. Your overarching mission should be to work with excellence while adding genuine value to your organization and the people you serve.

Like any resilient professional who processes setbacks constructively and continues pursuing their goals, you can choose this approach too.

3. Take Strategic Action

Once you've gained clarity about your situation and timeline, TAKE ACTION.

If you're clear that you need to stay in your current role, commit to working with renewed focus and energy. You may need to schedule a follow-up meeting with your supervisor to understand specific areas for improvement in the next review period. Perhaps you'll need to invest in training or skill development to address the feedback you received.

While doing this, remember that your overarching mission is to work with excellence while serving your organization and colleagues effectively. People should be grateful they had the opportunity to work with someone of your caliber and professionalism.

On the other hand, if you're clear that you need to change roles or companies, then you need to plan your exit strategically in a way that still benefits your current organization. Structure your transition while giving the company adequate time to find and train your replacement.

This is professional courtesy and smart career management. You maintain positive relationships because you do the right thing, not because people necessarily deserve it, but because it's the mark of a true professional.

My Personal Experience

I haven't always followed my own advice. I remember dwelling in anger and disappointment longer than necessary. It affected my work approach, but I eventually recovered.

During that difficult period, I received offers from competing companies to move. Fortunately, I did one thing right, I gained clarity on the season I was in professionally. I knew I was meant to stay in my role despite how frustrated I felt.

Eventually, everything aligned perfectly with my long-term career strategy.

That's a story for another day.

Keep winning at work and in life

Tola Akinsulire

Your Strategic Workplace Mentor.

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Want to get in on some of the lessons I have picked up in my career? Get my eBook "21 Lessons I Learned in My Career - A Primer to Help You Become Better at Work". Get it here

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