Employee Review/Feedback

Giving Feedback: 5 Elements of a More Inclusive Approach

Posted by on Nov 9, 2021 | 0 comments

This post first appeared on Forbes.com A client recently asked me to provide workshops to all employees on how to give and receive feedback. There is nothing unusual about that—I do it frequently. What was newer was the growing imperative to cultivate inclusive leadership in all aspects of organizational life, including traditional bread-and-butter management skills. Bringing an awareness of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) issues to the skill of giving and receiving feedback is critical to creating an inclusive workplace.  And yet, so many people avoid the conversation. One of the...

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Give Thanks for Feedback – how to receive feedback gracefully and constructively

Posted by on Nov 17, 2018 | 0 comments

Give Thanks for Feedback – how to receive feedback gracefully and constructively

In the world of management and leadership training, a lot of emphasis is put on teaching people to give effective feedback and very little attention is given to receiving feedback. Yet we know that a major reason that feedback conversations go sideways is the recipient’s response. Given the importance of feedback, we need more training on how to gracefully receive and learn from feedback, even when it is not skillfully given. The starting place is gratitude. Repeat after me: “Feedback is a gift.” Really. You need feedback to grow and learn. Even the most self-aware people...

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Grading on a Curve Undermines Performance

Posted by on Jul 18, 2012 | 0 comments

Microsoft offers a lesson on how not to conduct performance reviews. Its evaluation process, called “stack ranking” — essentially grading on a curve — has had a disastrous effect on morale, performance, and innovation, reports Kurt Eichenwald in “How Microsoft Lost Its Mojo.” His article in the August Vanity Fair describes a system in which managers are permitted to give only a few employees top reviews, while the majority receive mediocre reviews, and a few receive poor ratings. This structure sets up a competition among employees and fosters an...

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