People can’t fix what they can’t see. From time to time, it’s our job as managers to see for them. By providing eye-opening feedback, we eliminate some of the tunnel vision that keeps others from recognizing their personal or professional…
Evaluations, Reviews & Appraisal
Multi-Source Feedback Can Work If You Train It
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet.” Such is also true with multi-source feedback, a method of gaining a broad view of individual performance, which is also known as…
21 Of the Worst Ways to Give ‘Constructive’ Feedback
If you’re like most managers — and most people in general — giving feedback is one of your least enjoyable experiences. It is also one of the weakest links between managers getting the output and outcomes they want and what…
The Next Step In Performance Management Is to Be Comprehensive
In past years, annual performance reviews were deemed necessary to ensure fair labor practices and standardizing pay and performance. However, in recent years, research has revealed that these processes are time consuming, discourage employees, and deter honest conversations. Employee performance…
How to Deal with Negative People in a Positive Way
I remember Mike like it was yesterday, even though I met him over a decade ago. He was the guy sitting in the back of the room with the dark cloud over his head in a supervisor training I was…
What the Chicago Cubs’ Clubhouse Teaches Us About Building Trust and Chemistry
On their way last year to winning their first World Series in more than a century, the Chicago Cubs did something unusual: They changed the shape of their clubhouse. Instead of stretching across a long rectangular hall, the new Cubs…
It Takes An ‘Awakening’ Before a Feedback Culture Can Flourish
Implementing a culture of feedback from scratch at a company is no simple task, especially if it hasn’t historically been a part of the company’s values. Too many times, managers and HR teams view feedback as a way to critique…
Is There Still a Need for HR?
HR departments are the last thing fast growing companies pay attention to. In the race to become lean, hypergrowth machines, many executives in the tech industry see HR simply as a nice to have at best, if not a symbol…
Surprising Research Says Negative Feedback Is Effective (and We Might Even Prefer It)
Few people like hearing bad news about themselves. Getting a tough performance review or being called out for a mistake challenges our status and triggers feelings of shame, frustration, and helplessness. Negative feedback floods the brain with stress-inducing hormones that…
Improve Your Coaching Skills by Understanding the Psychology of Feedback
Do you ever wonder why it’s so difficult to give and receive feedback in the workplace? Many owners and managers struggle with pointing out areas of improvement for their employees. Employees, in turn, often have a hard time hearing they…
The Folly of Assessing Workers On Results
Here’s a disruptive thought: “What if getting results and appraising people based on getting results are not the same? What if focusing on results is not even the best way to get them? What if it’s actually the worst?” Vadim…
The Subjectivity of Objective Performance Ratings
Numerical methods of rating and tracking performance have been an integral part of performance management for a long time. They are used to judge individual performance, they are utilized during stack ranking, and they are a key element of 360-degree…
What We Can Do to Improve Performance Measurement and Rewards
When it comes to evolving performance management and pay for performance, it has definitely been a long haul. For the past few years, performance has been on the collective brain of HR and compensation professionals. At every conference over the…
Think Through These Issues Before You Change How You Evaluate Employees
The past few years have put a spotlight on the one “human resource” process that is both the most important process, as well as the most hated. Everyone is jumping on the bandwagon to move from static, snapshot-based annual reviews…
More Companies Using Calibration to Assess Talent
Making critical decisions when it comes to managing talent has always been difficult: How should we invest in our people? Who are our most valuable employees? How do we make the best use of limited resources? Yet as the complexities…
Why Companies Are Moving Away From Annual Reviews
Theoretically, performance management should happen every day. Think of it this way, if Lionel Messi was playing in a way his manager Luis Enrique didn’t like, would he wait until the end of the season? Absolutely not. They would address…
How to Get Started With Continuous Performance Management
It’s no surprise that performance reviews – across most businesses today – are changing. For years organizations have complained that performance management needs to evolve to deliver company-wide business value. In fact, studies show that only 6% of organizations believe…
What Hollywood Teaches Us About the Future of Work
Hollywood can teach you a surprising amount about running your business. When a blockbuster film is produced, a team comes together to go all-in on the project. When it’s finished, they move on to separate projects. While it may seem…
Poor Performance May Be Management’s Fault
In a dynamic, competitive environment where every business strives to be the best it can be, poor performance is a stumbling block we just can’t ignore. But what are the true costs of underperformance, and when should managers accept responsibility?…
Turns Out, Millennials Actually Don’t Want Your Feedback
It’s conference season and I got a chance to see the ever-popular, Marcus Buckingham. Marcus has the great English accent, high energy and great leadership content to share. He’s strong every time I’ve seen him, going on way too many…