What’s Your Performance Review Mindset?

If you’ve read any of my past posts on performance reviews (Putting the Fun Back in Performance Reviews, Performance Reviews: Character Issues vs. Skill Set Issues, Performance Review Mishaps), you know I like them and I look forward to doing them each year! Performance reviews should be treated as growth conversations, and if you enjoy growing and growing your teammates, they should be an open discussion and an enlightening process for everyone involved.

Since so many of us are entering the performance review season, I wanted to spend a bit of time today discussing the mindsets that the leader and their employee should have when preparing for and participating in a review. (more…)

Leaders eventually find themselves in the position where they must defend someone on their team. Stepping up to bat for our teammates is an expectation of the position. Even when the teammate is at fault, we do not throw them under the bus.

Yet, sometimes we become so close with our teammates that we are overly protective of them, unaware of a blind spot we have as we instinctively and immediately jump to their defense. Here are some tips to consider as you balance leading and, when necessary, defending the people on your team. (more…)