Tough conversations at work can be difficult, derailing, and sometimes catastrophic. They don’t have to be though. Often we get caught up in the emotion of the moment. Perhaps we don’t take the time to structure our conversation. Our communication may be unclear and misleading causing greater obstacles to navigate. All of these reasons are common. With the pressure of business today conflict can be prevalent in many organizations. Having a strategy can make the world of difference.
In the first part of this series on Performance Appraisals, I discussed how we as managers should approach this process. It is a valuable tool when used appropriately. When it is viewed as a “paper drill”, then it is of no value to anyone. My attempt in this post is to provide you with steps to manage the Performance Appraisal Process.
One of the most routine and (in my opinion) abused management tools is the Performance Appraisal. Now I know my readers won’t let me get away with giving an opinionated statement without clarification. Therefore, why I feel it is abused is because it can be an amazing tool yet so many managers see it as a tedious task that occupies their time when they could be doing more important things. What could be more important than improving your employees’ performance? Now generalities can be destructive so I will not say this applies to all managers but it does too many. As a result, it presents me with a great opportunity to help surface the value of the Performance Appraisal and provide some helpful tips to navigate the obstacles that may be in the way.
Recently I was asked to present a webinar for the Los Angeles Chapter of American Society for Training and Development. Although I am writing this blog post, well in advance, the purpose is to serve as a follow up for the attendees. The date of the webinar is May 6, 2010 at 12:30 Pacific Time. Although the link to register for the webinar is not up as of the publishing of this post, you can click on the ASTDLA link to stay updated. My goal for the webinar is to help Learning Professionals move beyond skepticism regarding the use of Twitter, and see it as a evolution to the learning process.
Difficult people can range from a speed bump to Armageddon when it comes to progress. They can interrupt meetings, cause mutiny, raise your anxiety and in some cases make you think the unthinkable. Lucky for you and us, you haven’t acted on the latter (we hope). Difficult people are a challenge. This is true whether managing or simply falling in the rank and file. This blog entry will help you de-code their behavior and perhaps even turn those difficult people into one of your top performers or advocates.
Tough conversations at work can be difficult, derailing, and sometimes catastrophic. They don’t have to be though. Often we get caught up in the emotion of the moment. Perhaps we don’t take the time to structure our conversation. Our communication may be unclear and misleading causing greater obstacles to navigate. All of these reasons are common. With the pressure of business today conflict can be prevalent in many organizations. Having a strategy can make the world of difference.
