Performance Management

If you manage people long enough, it’s likely you’ll come across someone who constantly complains.  This is a person I know well. In addition to having a few of them work for me over years, I use to be one.

The funny thing about the constant complainer is that very often, he or she is one of your best employees. In fact, part of the reason they complain so much is that they have high standards for themselves, their peers and the company.  So what can you do if you have this type of employee?

It never ceases to amaze me how many companies are still using rating and ranking systems. Consultancy firm Aon Hewitt found that 90% of 880 surveyed tech employers in a recent survey used performance rating.

And tech firms are suppose to be on the cutting edge of everything, aren’t they? So I was pleased to see a recent article in the WSJ that GE has ended their employee rating system. This is quite a milestone for the company that Jack Welch built.

Over the past several weeks, I’ve been hearing a common refrain from the folks I’ve met: “I never receive any feedback”.  To the rank & file, they find it frustrating as they want to move up and are not sure how orwhat they need to do to achieve their goals.

There’s a reason that companies like General Mills, Goldman Sachs, and Google have incorporated a mindfulness practice into their workplace.  According to a Towers & Watson study, “almost six out of 10 (57%) of employees who claimed to be experiencing high st

Know who the hardest person to manage is?  No, it’s not the underperformer. Nor is it the high maintenance employee.  The absolute hardest person to manage is the person who can’t accurately self-assess. This type of employee never, ever sees himself or herself the way others do. And by others, I mean everyone else.  A recent Harvard Business Review article talks about ways to coach the person that doesn’t want to be coached.  

It depends.  I know that sounds very lawyer-like, but the reality is that bonuses can and should be used for both reward and retaining top talent.  The difference lies in how well the company is performing and what expectations have been set.