More than a living

If you work in the corporate world, you’re likely starting to feel a little prickly sensation on the back of your neck. And that’s because, after reading that headline up there, you’re beginning to think about the ominous–not to mention foreboding–”annual performance review.”
As an employee, you’re now beginning to scramble. Trying to remind your managers […]

It’s become clear that more interaction with our reader base would be both welcome and warranted. Toby has mentioned it, both in conversation and in posts. Amy has mentioned it. And I know I could use it.
I mean, as much as I like to think that I’m the smartest guy in the room, this is […]

Some people call me “underwhelmed,” but fact of the matter is I tend to wear my heart on my sleeve.
Negative feedback or lack of progress or failure often crushes me. At first.
But then, it becomes the seed of motivation.
Take sixth grade for example.
One day, Ms. Elton took me aside.
“Your handwriting,” she said. “It’s horrible.”
Okay, now […]

On the plane, I was reading an article in Motto by Jim Deupree of DBM’s International Center for Executive Options (ICEO).
I made a note to link to the article once I got back to an internet connection, but guess what? Motto doesn’t publish their articles online. Or, I can’t find them. One of the […]

Marshall Goldsmith, PhD writes in “Partners, not Employees“, published in a recent Talent Management’s issue (related reflection at his blog):
Gone are the days when leaders could be — indeed, were expected to be — aloof and unapproachable, handing out orders from on high like some sort of demigod. Because of revolutionary transformations in the business […]

Any time is a good time for feedback. So, Amy, Toby, and Rick were wondering how you felt about our performance.
Any input is great, but you can also feel free to drop that feedback into these buckets:

The Good
What are we doing well?
The Bad
What could we be doing better?
The Ugly
Where are we really screwing up?

Positives, negatives, […]

The folks over at Gawker are currently running a contest to find New York’s most evil boss. Which leads us More than a living types (apparently all atwitter about The No Asshole Rule and who have heard some doozies as far as “bad boss” stories go) to wonder…
How do the evil bosses in good ol’ […]

When you’re looking for feedback on your performance, it’s critical that you know your critics and know your fans.
That’s going to temper your questions and your results.
If you’re looking for some praise to raise your spirits, then you’re going to want to go to your pool of “encouragers.” (The Career Encouragement Blog advises that part […]

You scoped the work. You delivered on your commitments. You exceeded expectations when you look at what you had originally set out to do. Every “i” dotted, every “t” crossed. Attaboy.
Your Customer’s needs are still unsatisfied.
How did this happen? You busted your tail. You really, really hit the issues hard to try and get a […]

Everybody loves positive feedback.
But, sometimes, positive isn’t necessarily honest. Or it’s honest, by simply dodging the real issues.
Q: How did I do on my project?
A: Have you been working out? You look great!
Lifehacker points us (”Learn the truth about yourself by conducting an online survey“) to one potential answer: an insightful post by Roman Rytov, […]