Leadership pt. 3 What Not to Do That I Did

Do You Have This Fatal Flaw of Leadership

One fatal flaw in leaders that will sabotage their leadership influence and kill their efforts, ultimately causing their organization to implode, is being an “INSECURE LEADER”. Unfortunately, I can again speak with great authority and experience on this subject. Although I have always exuded a confident boldness, which gives the illusion of “being secure”, without training or experience I fell into all of the typical actions and responses insecure leaders exude. Worst of all, because of my insecurity, I “needed” people to prop me up with compliments, approval, and value; along with people showing up for attendance at my meetings to support my efforts. (Now this was over 25 years ago.)  Before I knew it, I was co-dependent on the very ones I was to serve, equip, motivate, support and lead. Ok, ok, so I was only a volunteer over Women’s Ministries, Director of Camps, Supervisor of Sunday School, Director of VBS, Mission Trips Leadership and ran a Summer Master’s Commission program, they were still leadership roles, and the beginning of my love/hate relationship with leadership! In fact, I could write a book about this topic alone, the INSECURITY of LEADERS. For your sake though, I’ll give you the signs and symptoms of an insecure leader, all of which determine the stage of leadership one is on, this one being the “Title Stage”. More than that, I would love to tell you just what I’ve done that has given me freedom from this deadly flaw. If you’d like to know more, please contact me for more information. It’s my absolute favorite topic, training, and a pre-requisite for completing my Executive Coach Training Course. But let me explain more about the “Title Stage”

Title Stage

(This person has no real influence or skill, just a leadership position) They may be a new leader or manager, or one who has had little or no training or understanding regarding the mission and scope of leadership.

At this stage of development they have been appointed and given a title. The titled leader often uses a military, autocratic style of leadership that worked for the traditional generation, and during a war. And yet, if this is the only basis for someone’s authority and influence then they:

• Tend to be dictatorial, autocratic, demanding and controlling in their style

• Most of their actions and reactions are due to being insecure.

• When problems arise they are quick to blame shift without finding out all the facts, for fear that blame for the problem may be placed on them.

• Will make assumptions, again without the facts.

• Are defensive.

• Can’t take responsibility and have difficulty apologizing.

• Get their identity and security from the “title” and being “in charge”.

• Tend to lead by rules, protocol, flow charts and tradition.

• May have been appointed to a position regardless of their skills, talents or leadership influence.

• Expect people to “just do it” because, well “I said so”.

• Will have low moral throughout the organization.

• Will discover that people won’t engage and participate beyond their stated job description. They aren’t motivated by their work, and will only do the bare minimum.

• Use intimidation, threats and manipulation to direct people.

• Want everything to revolve around them, and what they want and need.

• Have people that feel disrespected, unimportant and frustrated.

• Have people who are not empowered to take charge themselves, and receive no rewards for any extra initiative. Instead they may intimidate the one trying to lead.

• Don’t allow their people to question anything, or ask the deeper questions to discover the real problems, issues, or hindrances of the organization.

• Believe that if you want something done right you have to do it yourself. This results in unmotivated people who are discouraged.

• Micromanage due to their lack of trust.

“We cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are.“  Max DePree

YOUR COACHING ASSIGNMENT:

Take this list above and put a 1, 2, or 3 next to the sentences, 1 meaning least like and 3 meaning most like, and evaluate where you are today.  Want to really “GET REAL“, make copies of it, and have those closest to you rate the sentences about you!  Then be alert to the next posting, I’ll talk about what you need to do to go to the next level OF “LEADERSHIP INFLUENCE”.

STILL WANT TRANSFORMATION: Contact me to learn about my fall coaching programs AccidentalLeader@comast.net to acquire the accountability to become the person you know you can be!

Which Social Medial Tool Should You as a Leader Use, if Any?

Is social media a viable networking/marketing outlet?  To find out the answer to that question, as well as how not  to waste your valuable time on social media that isn’t effective, check out this recent report by “The State of Social Media Marketing“ .  They just put out a phenomenal report disclosing strategies and predictions for 2010.   Is Facebook, or Twitter a better investment of your marketing time?  You might be surprised.  The writers of this report surveyed 5,140 marketing and business professionals who are using social media to gain their statistics.  You will learn how often people are posting on the three most popular sites, Twitter , Facebook and LinkedIn , all of which I use regularly (click on these, their my sites.)  As well, you’ll learn which is more popular, Twitter or Facebook.  If you’re into synergizing and making wise use of your most precious commodity, time, then take a good look at this report.  For me, one of the most important facts was the usage of  corporate accounts.  To be known in your field as an influential mover and shaker, you must participate.  My question to you is, are you using “free” media, and if not, why not?  It may be that you’ve not seen the value; however, knowledge can break through your preconceived ideas, if you let it, and bring a new found wisdom which can open up to you a whole new world.

If, through proper investigation, you learn you’re missing the boat, but you’re not sure where to begin, with so many options already available on the market, a report like this can give you some clear cut, statistical direction.   Now, I hear from people all the time who dislike, almost hate, the idea of Facebook.  I should know, I was one of them, but I am now a happy convert.  Not only have I reconnected with a lot of truly wonderful people, I have made business connections that will last a lifetime.  We won’t even talk about keeping an eye on what your children are doing, or the wonderful pictures of grandchildren you can regularly obtain.   Just know that if you’re not exploring this issue, you may be missing out on one of the most revolutionary marketing endeavors to come along in your lifetime.  So, check it out.  Here’s some of the valuable information that I hope will persuade you, although if you’re reading this, it’s highly likely you’re already taking advantage of it.  Happy social networking!  Share this with someone who doesn’t read blogs, or uses social media.  For more on the report, check out the social media examiner article: http://bit.ly/5jCnMV

Increase Your Leadership Influence While Helping A Reporter Out!

For those of you with not only a leadership mind, but an entrepreneurial mind as well, you may be glad that “Shark Tank” will be returning soon to ABC on friday January 8th 9/8c but to make it on the show with you great business idea to pitch to the experts for financial support, they now make it mandatory that you have a patent first.  This cuts out a friend of mine from high schoool who has a great idea that is not patentable but cutting edge.  Sorry Jim, I just learned this.  In the mean time, you may want to check out a great way to increase our influence and obtain free publicity.  Here’s an article about Help A Reporter Out aka: HARO , another big thing in social media!

As a follow up to Jen’s recent piece, Media and Publicity Tips from the Pros , we thought we would share another one of our little secrets to getting free publicity…HARO – Help A Reporter Out , by our good friend Peter Shankman.

Our newest contributor, Scott Gerber (aka The Young Entrepreneur), wrote a great feature on Peter and his company and was willing to share it here with us!

HARO is a revolutionary social media platform that connects journalists from around the world with sources for their news stories. Each day founder Peter Shankman sends three ad-supported emails, each with 30 to 50 queries from journalists seeking experts, to an opt-in email list comprised of small businesses and PR professionals. If a HARO member feels they are a fit for a journalist’s story, they simply reach out to the journalist directly. The service is free, easy and provides results. Since the founding of HelpAReporter.com, members from the HARO community have been featured in hundreds of national and international media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and the TODAY show, to name a few.

The Startup Story: In November 2007, Peter Shankman, founder of The Geek Factory, a boutique PR and marketing strategy firm, started a Facebook group in hopes of helping his journalist friends connect with sources. Within three weeks, word of mouth about the group had spread. What began as 150 friends quickly became a 1,200-person community. In order to keep up with the explosive growth, Shankman launched HelpAReporter.com . In just over a year and a half, HARO has become a global social media powerhouse, with 75,000 active members and growing.

Impressive Stat: While most businesses are lucky to attain a 5 percent open rate on a monthly email blast, HARO averages an impressive 80 percent open rate, three times a day.

Founder Fun Fact: Peter Shankman isn’t a traditionalist by any stretch of the imagination. Why should the capital raised for his first venture be any different? Simultaneous to the film release of Titanic, Shankman had the idea of selling T-shirts that poked fun at the blockbuster in Times Square. The shirts’ slogan read, “It Sank. Get Over It.” His out-of-the-box plan paid off big. Shankman was able to sell $100 thousand in shirts in a little less than two months — then funded his first venture. No wonder he wrote the book, Can We Do That?! Outrageous PR Stunts That Work and Why Your Company Needs Them.

Peter’s Advice: “Find something that works and do it again. If something doesn’t work, make it better, then try it again.”

Scott Gerber is a syndicated Young Entrepreneur columnist, CEO of Gerber Entertainment, an entrepreneurial incubator, and Founder of SizzleIt.com , the expert in producing affordable, captivating and effective sizzle reels for brands, products and services. For information on speaking engagements or media appearances visit www.GerberEntertainment.com .

MONDAY MORSALS for Leaders - 10 Ways To Kill Your Leadership Influence and Destroy Office Morale

1. Don’t take any time to get to know any of your staff, barely know their name, or call them by the wrong name.
2. Don’t listen to your employees when they bring up an issue. Ignore their concern and then let your body language show that you’re displeased. That way they’ll never bring up anything again.
3. Expect your employees to know their job requirements, even though you have never explained the parameters of the work, their realm of authority, to whom they report to, or who else they need to collaborate with. – Just expect them to be mind readers!
4. Only thank them or show appreciation when you want them to sacrifice more or, work overtime. They won’t get that this is manipulation.
5. When those who are loyal, and genuinely want to see you to succeed bring you a concern or issue, be sure to take it as criticism. Assume they want your job; or are positioning themselves to take over the organization; want control; or have other ulterior motives.
6. Walk by your employees, and when they stop to talk to you explain, “I don’t do small talk” and just keep walking. Better yet, have your office manager send out a memo explaining to your employees how important you are, and therefore they are not to expect you to stop and talk to them, that you are too busy. They’ll then get the message they aren’t important, and realize their “place” in the organization!
7. Be sure you’ve already chosen your favorite person for any new position, before you actually post the job.   This way when other employees, who have been hoping and praying for a new position to open up, come to the interview, you won’t be swayed by their enthusiasm, emotion, or recent credentials they’ve recently earned to make themselves more valuable to the company.
8. Institute rules and standards for the whole staff that are really directed toward one person. By all means save yourself from any confrontation by never dealing with the problem people.  Allow them get away with BREAKING office policy, or better yet, let some get away with it, and others not. This way you can have different standards for different people, and play favorites.
9. Place blame, then ignore them, talk poorly about them, without ever checking or corroborating the facts of the matter. Certainly never give them an opportunity to explain their side of the story.
10. Never respond to their e-mails, or when you do, be sure to do it a week late. This way they’ll learn not to bother you with this form of communication.

Unfortunately, all leaders have done one or more of these at one point or another in their career. Those that learn from these particular mistakes, and work to eliminate this kind of negative behavior, while at the same time are adding excellent people skills to their management/leadership style, are those who won’t just surviving in this difficult day and age, but will thrive. When it all gets down to it, the important thing in business is PEOPLE. Those people that are your customers or clients, as well as those who work for you. Treat them well, and your business will flourish!

How to Develop Leadership Skills by Guest Blogger, Noel Robinson

I’ve had the privilege to know Noel Robinson for the past ten years, and on occasion have had the opportunity to work with him.  He has continually increased his leadership skills and influence by implementing the steps he mentions below.  Because of his vast knowledge and experience, I wanted you to have the opportunity to learn from him.  Catch the progression, and know that you can also go to the next level in your leadership skills by mirroring him.

Noel: “Below are some thoughts I’d like to share from when I was asked what I did to become a leader. They are in no particular order.

Study people, especially other “leaders.” What did they do that worked and what didn’t work. Who did I respect and why? Whose influence did I and others follow and why?

Read lots… especially about sales and leadership.

Learned public speaking early and continued to master it. It’s like anything else, the more you practice it (do it) the better you get at it. If you fear it, so what. Do it anyway. Start off with small friendly groups and speak about topics that you really know and are passionate about.

Jump on every opportunity to lead and to be led, no matter how small. If your church needs a Sunday School teacher, that counts. What about running for your Homeowner’s Association Board? It may not sound like much fun, but you’ll get leadership experience! Call your favorite non-profit; they always need people for committees, and you may end up being the chairperson. What about your child’s school’s PTO/PTA?

Network, network, network! Take every opportunity to meet people. Listen to them and stay in touch with them. (Shameless plug: check out my website for a powerful tool to keep in touch and build relationships – www.SendOutCards.com/connect )

Don’t lie to yourself… and believe me, we all do it a LOT! You have to learn to step back with an objective eye and truly see what’s working and what isn’t. Tip: if no one’s following you, you aren’t a leader. And if your following isn’t growing, then neither are you growing as a leader. Check your results… if you don’t like them then you have to do something different.

Find qualified mentors and actually use them. Be totally honest with them, and then shut up and listen to their advice. Hopefully you can handle what they need to say, because if they think you can’t handle it, they probably won’t even tell you.

You’ll make some of your own mistakes. Sometimes you may unintentionally really hurt someone. If your truly a leader, it will hurt you even more knowing that you caused them pain. Of course you must own up to it AND do your best to make it right with them. But then you have to forgive yourself and continue your journey forward.

Ultimately, you have to believe and trust in yourself. This may be the hardest part.

The subtleties of real leadership vastly surpass my ability to write, but they are all centered in Service Above Self—the slogan for Rotary International.

Being a leader is hard… really hard, but if you’re truly cut out for it you’ll love it!

Lastly, when the time is right don’t forget to pay it forward; mentoring others is an excellent way to serve!”

As a Leader, Become the Person Other’s Want to Follow!

ACQUIRE THE FIRE WEDNESDAYS! Each Wednesday I’ll review a book or blog (I was out of commission this past Wed.)

“Be a People Person“, by Dr. John C. Maxwell, was by far one of the very most influential books I have ever read.  I recommend it with five stars to all new or emerging leaders or managers! This book began in me the extensive quest I have needed to take in becoming a woman who sees the trees through the forest.  Before reading this book I was full of vision, enthusiasm and drive, but seriously lacking in the keen ability to direct and delegate to people while keeping their needs, their skills, and their vision in mind.  I had no idea they wouldn’t just “Do It!” and get a job done, or why I had to take the time to understand why they had joined me as a leader, or what they were wanting to get out of their involvement.  At that time my husband and I ran a purely volunteer organization, so you can see the utter calamity and demise we were headed for.  Unfortunately, this is the stance many leaders take when leading an organization.  This book sets the stage for the very primary leadership skill/competency needed for great organizations, CARING!  Yes, I know, I’ve just lost some of you.  It’s hard, no, it’s down right earth shattering for some to realize that they and their vision are not at the center of most people’s interest.  It is true that people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.  This book, for me, was a hard hit on the head, and my wake up call that there is more to leading than giving vision, and delegating responsibilities.  If you want the practical in’s and out’s of leading people, with step by step actions, this book is for you.  Some of the chapters include: understanding the qualities you enjoy in others, and why others are drawn to you; becoming a leader others want to follow; how to be confident as a leader; how to motivate people; be a person people respect; exactly how to be an encourager - what to say and do; how to hand criticism; dealing with difficult people; and creating a winning team.  If any of these are areas you need to work on, this book was meant for you!  One caution though, if you have an aversion to Biblical references, this book is not for you, as it is full of them.  For you, the Maxwell book, “Winning With People“, would be a better choice.  Again, go to the side of this page and you’ll see a list of books from Amazon for your ease of purchasing.  Hope this will be helpful.  Happy reading!!  Sue

The Key to Leadership Skill Development pt. #2 and

ACQUIRE THE FIRE WEDNESDAYS! Each Wednesday I’ll review a book or blog

Last post I hopefully inspired you to begin reading more. So, where do you begin? I’ve provided a short list of all the books I have each executive with whom I coach read, or listen to. Some of my clients get so hooked on what they read, they have even gone out and purchased all of some of the author’s books. For your convenience, I have listed these books on the side of this page with an easily accessible link to Amazon to purchase them. Now, I do run into some that say, “I don’t read books”, and I would challenge you, I would like to see 5 concrete reasons as to why you don’t read books! If you’re one of them, here’s a challenge for you. Acquire one of these books I’ve listed, put on the timer for 15 minutes each day. Do this for two weeks, and then tell me if you do, or don’t see the value in this investment. Ask yourself these questions when you’re done:

• Did I learn something new?
• Will what I learned help me as a new leader, leader, or manager?
• Can I incorporate a skill in my daily activity?
• Did it build my confidence in any area?
• Will it help me influence others in a positive way?
• Did I feel encouraged?

If even two of these were the takeaways, wouldn’t it be worth it to give it a try? Let me know how it goes, I’d love to hear from you.

ACQUIRE THE FIRE BOOK REVIEW: “Developing the Leader Within You” by Dr. John C. Maxwell is the very first book I have every leader, executive, or manager I work with read! If you want to know:

• Why people don’t seem to respect or follow you and how to change that
• What breaks the trust of people you’re leading
• How to focus on priorities
• How to problem solve as a leader

and so much more, this is a MUST read book. Dr. John C. Maxwell is an amazing orator and author. You’ll walk away learning the five stages of leadership, and what is necessary at each stage of the game, so you can continually be moving forward. I give this book five stars, out of five for being excellent. Buy the book today. Just go to the panel on the right and you can get it at Amazon. There’s a workbook that goes with it as well. Check out his website too, it has many more opportunities for your involvement: http://www.johnmaxwell.com/

Avoid The Worst Mistake Every Leader Is Tempted To Make - Not Dealing With Insecurity

One of the greatest hindrances to leadership, as well as detriments to an organization, is an insecure person in a leadership role. Insecurity can come from a deep seated lack of confidence. It can come from being placed in positions of authority and influence before the appropriate training and experience are acquired. These are people that have not earned or gained, through trust and integrity, the influence of the people they are leading. They don’t have the wisdom to direct or correct, much less be able to change a course of direction as needed. You can tell a leader who is insecure by the way they are always trying to prove they are worthy of the position they hold, or the directive they have given. They may remind people of who they are, as if the position gives them certain inalienable rights. Secure leaders never have to do this, they just “are” and others willingly follow and are engaged. When insecure, they may lead by rules, reminding subordinates of their position. The unspoken culture also has rules and the employees people know the boundaries, and that it would be insurrection if they crossed them. Their desire is to gain unquestioning dedication. In fact, they view questions as insubordination and they run an organization by “Because I said so”. Their M.O. is to get rid of anyone that may question them, creating what is called “group think” where people know that the only acceptable reaction is to go along with what is proposed. Another clue to insecurity is when they abdicate responsibility when things go wrong, blaming others or the system instead of looking at the quality of their leadership. Insecurity is expressed in the way they communicate. For some it is revealed by how they need those around them to have a sense of importance. When I hear a leader of volunteers thank people for coming to a meeting, exclaiming how much they appreciate their support, I know their identity is wrapped up in the accolades of the people. This is an organization I know will some day be in trouble. For others, insecurity comes out in manipulation, either under the table, or outwardly through intimidation. People that know they’re not allowed to bring up anything that would be construed as being “negative” are dealing with an insecure leader. And when one of these leaders feels their influence with the people slipping through their fingers, they may overcompensate with pride, or by forcing people to “get-in-line” with their decisions.

I’m sure, at this point, you’ve had numerous people come to mind. You may be asking yourself “how is Sue so able to describe this”? Well, I should know, because as a young woman at the age of 23, and in a leadership role, at one time or another, most of this was a description of me. And for that matter, some of it may still be. We are all in process. Thankfully we can all, if we’re teachable and willing, grow, change, develop and gain the necessary attitudes, skills, and posture to be secure leaders that think more of those they are leading, and serve the mission of the organization, rather than expecting others and the organization to serve our sense of significance. In the next post, we’ll go over ways to become what many call a level 5 leader, one who is secure, with the right motives for their role.

You know you’re insecure if:

• You’re a know it all
• You have all the answers
• You can’t listen to anything negative
• You can’t receive help
• You don’t know what to do but proceed anyway expecting everyone to follow blindly
• You’re jealous of others that do better on a project than you, or receive the accolades and you don’t
• You don’t get input before you make decisions
• You can’t handle others under you being successful
• You can’t delegate
• You have to control everything
• You see yourself and your position as being the most important in the company
• You see yourself as indispensable
• You can’t receive correction and take everything as a conspiracy against you
• You’re consumed with conspiracy theories
• You see yourself and your leadership position as the same thing. In other words you derive your value from what you do.

Leaders may be filling their need for improper significance through:

• Holding a prestigious position (Are you there for the people or the cause, or how it makes you feel?)
  
• Having people look to them for answers (Creating co-dependency in the ranks)
  
• Controlling all the operations, having to know everything going on
• Taking all the credit for themselves
• Being the one everyone has to come to for permission (Do you need people to need you?)
  
• Needing to have  large crowds of people come to listen to them (It’s never big enough to satisfy your needs)
  

For more information on how to develop as a new leader, or develop into a great leader, check out the ongoing workshops and seminars under the page, “Events”.

Become the Leader You Aspire to Be

Can you think of a person, currently or from history, that exhibits/exhibited the kind of leadership you admire and want to emulate? This is someone who has become what you want to be, and accomplished what you want to achieve. The next step is to research the steps they took to acquire the character, skills, qualities, and lifestyle you aspire to have. Next, pay the same price they paid. Defer your gratification from today to be like them tomorrow.Imitate the steps they took, to become that same kind of leader. Like the quote, “Do today what others won’t so I can have tomorrow what others don’t.”   This all appears so simplistic, but it’s a plan. You might say it is a strategic plan, with an undeniably profound impact. So why don’t we do it? What keeps us from actually paying the price and getting it done, to go the full distance? Is it figuring out just who that person is? Or learning what they did? Is it conflicting priorities in your life? You would think with all the motivational books, tapes, CD’s, and DVD’s out there on this topic, that it wouldn’t be that difficult. These are the very kind of questions I thrive on exploring in my own life, as well as in the lives of my clients: Discerning the barriers to success; the walls that block progress; the system that transforms random puzzle pieces into steps of action that become a routine part of life; while holding people to the fire to do what they need to do, in order to become the person they want to become. It is a tight-wire act I live, as an Executive Coach, walking the fine line between giving grace and encouragement, and acting like an Olympic coach and making them pay the consequence they negotiated with me ahead of time, when they don’t attain their goal. That goal could be anything. I had one client that wasn’t motivated by money, or consequences, but she was motivated by SHOES! Therefore, this became the reward we established that she could go out and buy once she reached her target. Accountability in this process is the quintessence of coaching. And, when that goal is met, the one that is taking someone one step closer to being like the person they aspire to be, the feeling of fulfillment is one we celebrate together. Have you thought of getting coaching for yourself? Why not check it out, and sign up for a free session to explore your life plan, and the goals that will get you where you want to go, to be who you desire to be. It’s free, and you can do it in the comfort of your home on the phone. Believe it or not, most of my clients prefer phone coaching. They can do it from anywhere, saving the time it would take to drive. I look forward to hearing from you today.

It Does Matter for a CEO to Give Feedback and Communicate Appreciation

I want to thank Jeannette Paladino, my guest blogger today, Writer-in-Chief of Write Speak Sell, for making this valuable contribution to the success of CEO’s and all leaders/ managers.  Take close note of what she writes here.  Better yet, put it into practice.   In fact, as a young girl taking piano lessons I was taught to go straight home and practice what I had just learned.  The best way to grow the leadership skill mentioned below is the same way, by implementing what you’re about to read immediately.  Today, build the moral of your company, and set the tone for the day, by executing the steps provided for you in this post.

Whether we are employees or consultants working for a company, we all crave feedback.  We urgently want to know if we’re doing a good job.  And studies affirm that showing appreciation improves performance.  So why don’t most CEOs and managers give feedback?  The New York Times recently interviewed David C. Novak, CEO of Yum Brands on his management philosophy .

Novak said:  “People are starved for direct feedback.  Too many leaders don’t provide that feedback.” The best way to give feedback is to start with “this is what I appreciate about you,” he said.  Yum Brands includes the chains KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and Long John Silver’s.  Novak believes that “people have an innate need for well-deserved recognition.  Using recognition is the best way to build a high-energy, fun culture and reinforce the behaviors and drive results.”

No doubt what I call the culture of communication is strong at Yum Brands and managers down the line are emulating their leader.  Too bad this isn’t true at many other organizations. Very often the only feedback an employee gets is during his annual performance review.  Most managers think this is the time to unload on an employee for all the things she did wrong during the past year.  Sometimes a consultant’s only feedback is when his services are terminated.

The annual review is often a farce filled with generalities.  It is probably one of the most de-motivating experiences an employee can have.  I learned a lesson from the CEO of a bank where I was marketing director and also in charge of training.  He proselytized the “yellow lined paper” approach.  That is, give an employee immediate feedback – either praise for a job well done or counseling on how a job could be done better.  Then, write yourself a note on yellow lined paper and toss it in your desk drawer (the one where you lock your purse or briefcase).   Depending on your company’s policy, you can also drop an email to HR to be put in the employee’s file.

When it comes time for the review, the conversation simply summarizes all the previous feedback from your yellow lined pages.  There are no surprises.  The time spent should focus on what’s ahead and not what’s past.

So, if you’re a CEO or manager, remember to give praise where it’s due.  It will only make your company more successful.  What’s wrong with that?

By Jeannette Paladino, Writer-in-Chief
Write Speak Sell , http://writespeaksell.com

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