Dear Madeleine, I work in an open environment type of setting, and for the most part it works. I manage a large team and I recently hired a new team member. She interviewed well and had great references, but now that she is settled in she never shuts up and we are all going insane.…
In my mind, nothing opens up possibilities for personal and professional growth more than receiving honest observations from a colleague, friend, or family member. However, I realize this sentiment is not widely shared. Ken Blanchard likes to say “Feedback is the breakfast of champions.” But if this is true, why is this meal avoided by…
Dear Madeleine, I have been asked to participate in a 360 degree feedback program. My boss and the HR team will see the results—and I think the results are going to be used to make promotion decisions. I have a bad feeling about this. I’m not that worried about someone giving negative feedback, but the…
Dear Madeleine, I am a COO in a multi-national import business. Our founding CFO has a foot out the door and we want to promote our comptroller, Bridget, into the job. She is lightning fast, ahead of the curve on international issues, articulate, and can really stand up for herself in what is—let’s face it—pretty…
This guest post is by Michael Glazer. If only I had a dollar for every time I heard leaders say they want the people in their organizations to “tell me what I need to know, not what I want to hear.” Speaking truth to power is easier said than done, but people who can do…
Dear Madeleine, I am a director in a large retail organization. Recently everyone at my level received an online 360° feedback. My report shows that my whole team is very unhappy with my hands-on style. All 14 of my people—not just 1 or 2— see me as a micro-manager. In the open-ended comments were phrases…
A few years ago, my husband gave me a gym membership. It’s something I needed and wanted, but it was still a bit of a surprise. Did he think I was fat? Did he not love and admire my beautiful self anymore? Or was it something else entirely? Turns out he saw how hard I…
Dear Madeleine, I am a newly promoted senior VP of sales for the North American division of a medical devices manufacturer. My boss is a new COO brought in from the outside. He lives in Germany and I live in Colorado, although I am on the road constantly. I’ve met this guy only once and…
I recently read an interesting Zenger Folkman white paper on feedback. What caught my eye is that more than 50 percent of people whom they surveyed said that corrective feedback has helped their career more than positive feedback has. Ken Blanchard loves to share former colleague Rick Tate’s assertion “Feedback is the breakfast of…
Dear Madeleine, What’s the best way to give correction to a sensitive top performer? I have a senior person on my team who is good at her job and takes great pride in performance excellence. But when I try to give her anything less than positive feedback she’s practically in tears and proceeds to beat…