© 2022 Fairygodboss. All rights reserved.
Analytical thinking skills
Good afternoon,
I had my mid-year today. All and all went well to my surprise. I was also mentally and emotionally prepared this time around. What she repeatedly says is that I need to improve on my analytical thinking skills and this is the reason why I haven’t been promoted in 2 years.
I’m resourceful and always let me stress ALWAYS working and striving to meet expectations and my career growth. I own it. That being said could you please offer suggestions/advice? From what I read thus far I can learn this skill. I want to learn for myself as I’m still working on getting the heck out of being under her supervision. Thank you
Fifilarue
60
08/07/20 at 10:47AM UTC
Hi. Sorry to hear that you’ve been given confusing feedback - although it sounds somewhat positive that your manager believes you can improve your skills. It’s also good that she is prepared to give feedback to help you improve. Many managers avoid this in order to be likeable, but that’s not going to help long term. It’s also worth considering the recent study that we don’t like getting feedback from women managers, even when exactly the same as delivered by a man. It’s worth remembering tho dynamic and trying to correct for it by assuming your managers actions are positive. I’d also ask what sphere you work in as in my industry first promotion is around 7-9 years post college work experience. Are others being promoted while you are not?
Anonymous
08/01/20 at 8:21PM UTC
Hi ladies, thank you all for you feedback. I’m closing this posts. I have to figure out how to do so. Hope you all stay happy, healthy and safe.
Anonymous
08/01/20 at 6:47PM UTC
This sounds very familiar to my work experience with the most recent manager I had. Based on one manager assessment, I was told I was seriously deficient in critical thinking skills and problem solving skills. Plus, she asked me: Do you think this job is a good fit for you? To me that was a red flag because it demonstrates a lack of commitment in an employee and that she was interested in filling the position with someone else. But then a few months later, she has me to train a new employee. Quite confusing to me. There was a sequence of events that took place from then on with a progression of write ups per her determination and ultimately fired me during a hiring freeze, COVID-19, and millions of people on unemployment. My advice at that time to myself was to look elsewhere for employment and I did start my job search then. Due to being so busy with trying to catch up and stay caught up, my job search was not consistent.
A supervisor's/manager's duty in my opinion is to be supportive to their employees and provide constructive feedback along with suggestions on how to improve (i.e. analytical skills). I did ask my manager at that time as to suggestions she has for improvement of my "deficits" and she told me to just "figure it out". From this time to a year and two months later, my "deficits" were not brought up as a concern ever again which leads me to believe the issue was something else other than my work performance. Plus, she had a reputation anyway of being that type of manager who wrote several people up and fired them.
My advice? Look for avenues to build your own development if they are not offered through your employer. View webinars that are relevant to your job position, read books also relevant to your position and areas of identified need to improve upon. And, search elsewhere for employment that is more of a fit for you and interview with prospective employers based on the premise of: Is this a job that I am a match for? Not only are they interviewing you, but you are interviewing them.
Anonymous
08/01/20 at 8:07PM UTC
Hi, I’ve been active in Meet Up groups. I’m sorry you experienced something similar and we both know it’s not good feeling. Especially when their opinion is subjective. I’m a true believer in Karma and those that destroy others self esteem will get it back one way or another. You can’t treat people like crap and expect to be respected only tolerated. I hope you find work soon. I’m not sure how to connect with you as I’d like to lift you up and be supportive. I’m just not sure how to do that on this platform as my anonymity is vital. As we never know if our managers are on here too.
Cynthia WilsonSocial worker in Houston, TX
31
08/01/20 at 10:05PM UTC
Thank you. I'm the same in wanting my anonymity. I'm searching diligently and a firm believer in options. There are always options. May not be the options we like but that's what it is sometimes. I'll be okay. I've got support with others as well. I've used this time to network and am constantly talking with others. Be well and you'll eventually be in a place where you need to be.
Suzanne Leblanc
11
08/01/20 at 4:21PM UTC
What is your role in the organization? This is a very important answer to have when trying to answer provide advice. Analytical thinking is really just a fancy way of saying that you have the ability to see the big picture and solve problems quickly and effectively. If you are working with data, then the ability to look at the data and see patterns that enable you to provide insight into how and why things are happening is crucial. If you are a team leader, then being able to look at an "ask" from senior leadership and see how it fits into the greater organizational strategy and provide guidance on the best ways to proceed (including things that may go wrong) is crucial.
I agree that certain types of analytical thinking can be learned from a book, but some are just instinctive and require experience and self discipline to really be effective.
Having read the other comments, I know that I am not in the majority here, but I am not a fan of leaving a job or organization that you love unless it is the absolute last resort. There are bad supervisors everywhere and there is no guarantee that you will get a better one somewhere else. I would seek out a mentor or someone that is currently working in the job that you want and see what types of skills they have.
Anonymous
08/01/20 at 8:17PM UTC (Edited)
Hi, thank you for you input. I realize poor management exists anyplace you may go. You know it’s time to go when you’re anxiety is often unbearable. I’ve done all I can do in my power to make things better. I work hard and I’m truly dedicated to my career. As far as a job coach, I’ve done that as well and personal counseling. I can tell you I’ve given more than 100% to my situation and spent a lot of money doing Sox she’s the problem as I’m not the only one she tears down and by her condescending, know it all management style. If I had a ton of money saved, and health insurance I would have left the second she disrespected me and my intelligence.
LisaNurse, Technology Writer, Healthcare Executive
432
08/01/20 at 3:27PM UTC
I agree with the comments that you need your supervisor to be more specific and give you examples. Broad feedback like that does not help you to improve, which might normally make me wonder if she is doing it intentionally (i.e. trying to make the job hard enough that you choose to leave). But you mentioned she believes you can do the job, so that leads me to wonder if this is more of a communication problem.
Another route is to ask peers or other people at your supervisor’s level for feedback as well. Over the course of my career, there are times when I received feedback that did not make sense until rephrased from another person’s perspective. What one person may describe generally as, ‘You need to be more strategic,’ another might say, ‘When you gave that presentation 4 months ago, you jumped straight into the data and did not paint the bigger picture. Some of us were a little lost.’
Your supervisor may have some salient observation that could be helpful to you, but she struggles to articulate it in a way you can use to improve.
Lisa AlonzoPeople Builder - Loving Life
11
08/01/20 at 1:36PM UTC
As a manager and supervisor myself I always see feedback as a two way street. Let me say I’d need more information to do a deep dive into the concern you’ve provided but on the surface development of analytical skills is one of those subjective areas so I can see why you’re confused. Not knowing the line of work you’re in you can further develop these skills in writing, more study and reading books, professional magazines and journals, soliciting the help from a trusted mentor or even taking specific courses aimed at this area. I also do Mastermind classes with teams to do a deep dive into specific readings where the groups feed off each other and ask questions that take you off the surface and cause deep thinking. I have also found that development of such skills comes from spending time in a position to gain depth and breadth of experience. Sometimes we want to get a promotion in record time but I can assure you that depending on where you are in your career, you’re better served in the long run mastering that area before a promotion. I’d first recommend you ask for a one-on-one with your supervisor with a list of well thought questions asking exactly what recommendations they have for you to develop your analytical skills. As supervisors we have an obligation to take feedback to that next level and help develop plans for our employees success. I hope this has been helpful. Good luck to you and kudos for seeking help and understanding!
Anonymous
08/01/20 at 1:06PM UTC
I hate to be so blunt, but if you have to ask what and how to improve analytical thinking skills, that could be an indicator. Maybe your best skills are to be the glue that holds things together and not the blocks that build toward new things. Both are needed.
Anonymous
08/01/20 at 8:19PM UTC
Hi, your bluntness is welcomed. If you read my comments you will see that I stated I may not be a good fit anymore. She disagreed and stated I can do the job.
Joanna Poe
1.52k
08/01/20 at 1:03PM UTC
I'd ask for specifics here, and ask for your progress to be documented. Also, ask her for assistance, resources to help you with those skills. Just telling someone they need to improve in X area is useless unless they also give you the guidance and tools to do so.
© 2022 Fairygodboss. All rights reserved.