Summary: Penelope G. Macías (aka “Penny Ante,” henceforth referred to as “Penny”) was selected last year to be a sidekick to Major Patriot (henceforth “the Major”–at his own insistence). After some initial friction over the sidekick handle selected for her by the Major, Penny settled into her new role. She was on track to accomplish Supers certification within record time. Penny’s recent behavior forced this unit to perform a re-evaluation at the Major’s request. Penny’s time requirement for Supers eligibility and certification will be extended as per Section 14.1 (i) of the Benevolent Order of Heroes, Twin Cities (Minneapolis) Chapter bylaws.
Job Knowledge: 5.0 (Outstanding) Penny learns and applies new skills much quicker than most of her colleagues. She anticipates and conducts further research in a self-directed way.
Strengths: Penny thwarted an attack by the St. Paul Sinister Sisters. She defused Herr Doktor’s Bald-O-Matic Ray before the Major arrived on the scene.
Opportunities: She was instrumental in protecting the world from premature hair loss. However, her failure to adhere to proper chain-of-command protocols (“Robin’s Rulebook,” pages 14, 78-82) ensured the Major appeared befuddled and uninformed before TV news drones. Penny did text the Major, but since he was in stasis from 1937 to last year, he has yet to adjust to this new technology.
Productivity: 2.5 (Meets Expectations) Penny completes the requisite amount of work within the timeframe needed. However, she resists taking on extra tasks, as per section 3.3 of the Order’s bylaws (“Teamwork and Leadership”) and “Robin’s Rulebook,” (pages 2-10). One such example is her refusal to sort the Major’s treasured marble collection by size, color and type (clearies, steelies and so on) regardless of his many requests.
Opportunities: Penny exploited a flaw in Automatron’s look-alike bots, making them go haywire. The Sinister Sisters’ cyborg member was stunned, but easy to ID and apprehend by other members of the Order. However, Penny neglected to help the team contain the damage caused by the out-of-control robot minions. A more productive use of Penny’s time would have been to ask where she could help instead of linking robot bodies to spell out “WREKT.”
Initiative: 4.0 (Exceeds Expectations) Penny is motivated, starting and finishing tasks with minimal supervision.
Strengths: On her own, Penny designed and created the SupersAlert! App. The public can now log suspected villain activity from their phones rather than using lighted signals or other similar beacons, which only work on overcast nights.
Opportunities: Penny’s initiative has not translated into her taking more of a lead role in the Order.
Communication: 1.5 (Needs Improvement) As referenced, Penny’s inefficient communication with her team has led to several incidents. This core competency affects her performance in many other areas.
Strengths: Penny improved communication between the general public and the Order through her app. This has helped her team defend the Twin Cities from the Sinister Sisters.
Opportunities: Recent situations where Penny could have communicated better follow.
For example:
Summary: Penny is a valued addition to the team who displays her genius at analysis, but has not yet achieved the full promise of her abilities. Given the mentioned infractions of the Order’s bylaws, and the Major’s input, we have reached a decision. The Benevolent Order of Heroes , Twin Cities (Minneapolis) chapter, agrees to postpone Penny’s promotion to full-fledged Super until she completes the “Next Steps” (see below)
Next Steps: Due to Penny’s issues with communication, we stress more open communications with peers and higher-ups. This unit suggests she focus on learning the Major’s preferences, since his recommendation is important to her promotion. This unit will assign Penny both the “Interpersonal Relations” and “The Seven Languages of Effective Supers” trainings before resuming everyday duties. This unit will also extend the probationary sidekick period for another two years. This should ensure Penny’s Supers certification will occur when she’s better prepared to take on the added responsibility. During this time, we invite her to review her copy of “Robin’s Rulebook” often, ask the Major questions any time she has doubts, and not forget this unit’s “Open Input/Output Ports” policy regarding any concerns she may have.
Acknowledgement: I have reviewed this document and discussed the content with a chosen representative of the Benevolent Order of Heroes, Twin Cities (Minneapolis) Chapter. By signing this document, I agree that I have been advised of my performance status only, with no implication I agree with the evaluation.
Employee Signature _______________ Date: _______
Benevolent Order of Heroes Rep: CAL Q TRON, iPhD
Notes: Penny refused to sign, even when encouraged to do so under protest. She uttered precisely 17 florid descriptions of my parentage as well as the Major’s (impossible, since I am a machine–I cannot speak for the Major). She surrendered her Order-issued gear (see attached inventory) and asked if the Major’s incompetence fell under “Job Knowledge.” 12 datapoints in how she said this make me estimate it was sarcasm.
Her wondering aloud “if the Sinister Sisters were recruiting,” however, was not.