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Avoid “Killer Phrases” During Performance Appraisals
On the appraisal form, Mark’s manager marked a “4” (on a 5-point scale) on attendance. In the interview, Mark said, “I have a perfect attendance record, but I see that I got a “4” on attendance.”...
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Supplement Annual Appraisals with Monthly Check Ups
(5th of 5) “As of September, one of the largest companies in the world will do all of its employees and managers an enormous favor: It will get rid of the annual performance review,” journalist Lillian...
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How to Make the Transition from Friend to Supervisor
Two close friends, Joseph and Charlie, worked side by side in the same department for five years. When their supervisor retired, management promoted Joseph to supervisor. Joseph and Charlie...
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Don’t Explain Why You Failed; Show Us How You Are Going to Succeed
At the first managers’ meeting of the new year, Al explained his why team had not met its objectives, “We ran short on materials because we had trouble with a key vendor.” At the next meeting Al’s team...
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When Making Tough Decisions, Ensure that You Upset the Right People
“I guess I’ve created a problem,” a manager began his conversation. “How’s that?” I asked. “Several employees at my site said we needed to formalize our vacation policy. We had been pretty informal....
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When Coaching, Brevity is Better
Rafael, a manager was coaching Mike, an employee, on his relationship with customers. “Mike,” Rafael began, “A couple of customers have told me that you took personal phone calls when you were helping...
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Beware of Artificial Harmony Among Your Team Members
I’ve heard many people complain about their team members. Some examples: “Judith just can’t keep her mouth shut. I admit that she sometimes has some good ideas but does she have to comment on...
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Do Not Make Your Manager Use Political Capital to Defend You
During a site visit, the CEO took questions from employees. “Why do we have the worst health care plan in our industry?” Alford asked. The CEO, using industry data, calmly explained why he thought...
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Why You Should Avoid the Praise-Critique-Praise Sandwich
A manager approached Albers, an employee, and commented, “I really like your attitude and the way you work with others. But you need to be more focused on your tasks. It is good that you volunteer to...
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Do You Have a “Kick Me” Sign on Your Back?
Mary said, “I enjoy my job, but my boss wants everything done his way. I wish he would just leave me alone. I know how to do my job.” “What do you do?” I asked. “I try to do it … Continue reading →
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Quality Face Time is the Secret Sauce of Good Communications
“I was becoming frustrated,” explained a manager, “with my communications with staff at distant sites. Several times I thought we had agreed on a way forward only to discover they misinterpreted my...
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Losing Teams Do Not Make for Happy People
A manager asked me to visit with his team to help improve their morale. “Why is morale so low?” I asked. One manager responded, “We just lost one of our larger accounts. They had been with us ten...
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Is Your Praising Vocabulary Larger Than Your Criticizing?
I overheard a supervisor, in a foul mood, correct an employee, “I got a complaint from one of your clients. When I pulled up the file, I noticed that you had entered very little detail. I couldn’t...
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Beware of Emitting Ambient Stimuli
“We’ve just completed an employee survey,” a manager said to me. “I was very disappointed with the communication ratings. I have an open-door policy and frequently ask others for their feedback.”...
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Why Employees May Not Offer Meaningful Suggestions Even When Asked
Martin announced, in a staff meeting, “We have to cut costs.” After showing charts of increasing costs along with other facts and figures, Martin asked his staff if they had suggestions. An uneasy...
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Leaders Talk More than Others
Shelly graduated with honors from a prestigious university and began her career in a very successful organization. She adapted quickly to her environment and performed exceptionally well. Shelly was...
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I Like Emails that are Specific and Brief
“Is Marla planning to attend?” asked the manager. “I’m not sure,” replied Marla’s associate. “I sent her an email inviting her but I don’t know if she got it.” I like email. It is a quick and...
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Pay More Attention to the A’s; Less to the C’s
Suppose your fifth grade student brings home a report card with four A’s, two B’s and two C’s. Which grades should you discuss more? According to Tom Rath, a New York Times bestselling author,...
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Three Phrases to Add to Your Communication
Have you noticed how much our communication relies on programmed, default phrases? Expressions like, “good job,” “thank you,” and “good morning,” roll out with few synapse connections. More complex,...
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If an Upper Management Decision is Legal and Ethical, It’s Best to Execute It
“I don’t like wearing this new safety vest,” complained an employee. “It is too heavy and too hot.” Although the plant manager had data from the home office showing the new vests to be superior in...
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