Don't forget your achievements



Managers often forget achievements of team members. You shouldn't. Start making a list of what you feel are your accomplishments. Add everything, even the smallest. So when the discussion happens, you know what to highlight.



Don't let the manager forget your achievements



It's not just about remembering your achievements but also making the manager remember them. It won't look nice if you have to remind him/her of how useful you have been when the boss is actually being critical. So make sure he/she is constantly aware of your good work.



Get across the message subtly



To get across the message that you are awesome, you have to build an easy relationship with the boss so that you can casually mention how one of your strategies worked well or how you plan to bring in changes.



Just deliver on expectations



But just tom-tomming your work may not work well if the manager has already formed an opinion about you. You need to break that perception. And the only way is doing something he/she has subtly been asking of you for long and you haven't been able to deliver.



Surprise the boss



This needs hard work. To make the manager really happy, do at least one thing he/she never expected out of you. Pleasantly surprise the boss, with your work results. The boss will always remember that when the two of you sit down for the appraisal meeting.