What have I gotten myself into??

So today is the last day of my new hire orientation, along with 20 other colleagues. We were brought through the most engaging part of the orientation - the performance management process. It was mind blowing the amount of thought, effort and ingenuity our company has invested into this system of reviewing (& rewarding) their employees.

A component of this performance process includes a peer review where others in your employment grade level will assess your performance & capability. So if you are eyeing to hit the top performance spot for your employment grade level, be very sure that you will have a tough fight on your hands as it's available to 1 out of every 5 employees. On top of skill and capability, your peers and colleagues have to like you.

Our company being a true global company, you might find yourself in competition with talents that span worldwide. Pretty sobering thought as there are indeed quite a number of talented, skilled and knowledgeable people at every level. What unnerved me was that the performance review is done in an "open" concept. Which means the goals you have set for yourself are made public in a meeting. And your manager gets to discuss about your achievements, performance (and failures!!) with managers from other regions. Another very American concept which is contrary to the Asian nature. Having worked in local companies for most of my career, assessments were more informal and conducted behind closed doors. There was a degree of discrepancy. Not so here.

While I know that I have definitely been giving my best and have no qualms that I've been responsible to my duties, still there is a level of intimidation at being disected in public in front of your boss and peers. Its not necessarily a bad thing if I can handle criticisms positively, and get past my Asian inhibitions. I would say it is an opportunity of growth even. Still I can't help but wonder what I've gotten myself into.