3 Things Your Teammates Need That They Won’t Ask For

1. They need to know you believe in them. When was the last time an employee asked you to believe in him? Probably never. We don’t ask for our leader’s belief in us, but we need it to stretch ourselves, try new things, and achieve our best. Our belief in a teammate is especially impactful when we know they can do it, but they aren’t yet sure. When that’s the case, we allow our teammate to borrow our belief in them. They don’t have the confidence yet, so until they gain it, they can borrow ours. (more…)

One of the most frustrating things a follower can experience is uncertainty about where they stand with their leader. Of course people want and need to know when they’re performing up to or above expectations. But I’ve also learned that most people want to know when they’re not performing up to par. And if they don’t want to know, they still need to know so that they can learn how to improve. When we’re vague about how our teammates are performing, well, that doesn’t do anybody any good. It leaves our teammates feeling unsafe and uncertain. It also leaves us ineffective as their leader. (more…)

Like many of you, I’ve been conducting performance reviews these past few months, while many leaders dislike this process, I have to admit it is extremely fulfilling for me. I am passionate about helping other leaders see the fun in performance reviews. This is the first of two posts on the subject. Today, let’s look at my top six picks for performance review mishaps. (more…)