Most employees prefer to receive fair and accurate constructive feedback from their managers, and employees who do receive regular feedback that is delivered appropriately perform better. However, most managers avoid giving constructive feedback and when they do give feedback they don’t do it well. Too many managers have not been trained to give performance feedback. In fact, if you have been trained, it’s likely you’ve received bad advice. For example, common advice is to us

A few semesters ago, a confident young man sat in the first row of my introductory management communication course. He was a valuable contributor to the class and, like most of my students, he was a motivated high-achiever. However, when it came time to deliver his first graded presentation, he froze. He appeared anxious from the start: the way he walked to the front of the room, his body language as he held index cards in his hands, and the uncertainty in his voice when he b

Two years ago I organized and facilitated a series of small focus groups in New York City with alumni from the Cornell SC Johnson College...

Annie Dillard in The Writing Life eloquently reminds us that our daily habits shape our lives. “How we spend our days is, of course, how...

A job interview is a bit like a first date. Prior to most first dates, you often have some communication. For example, if you met online, you’ve seen a photo of the person, read a little about them, and perhaps exchanged some information via text or email. Now, imagine two different first dates. Date A : This person makes a connection between something you shared in your profile and something relevant to your conversation. They ask you a question related to something they saw

When I was in fifth grade, I often came home after school and watched DuckTales, an animated television show produced by Disney. In one episode, a flashback shows Scrooge McDuck preparing to leave Scotland for America. Before he departs, his father tells him, “Remember to work smarter, not harder.” Later in America, McDuck ends up in a riverboat race where his job is to shovel coal into the furnace to keep the paddle wheel in motion. Tired of the backbreaking work, he remembe

Early in my career I sometimes felt like I was reacting to events throughout the workday. The direction of my day could easily be altered by an interruption from a colleague stopping by my office or an email that someone else thought was urgent. As a result, I found myself working longer hours to accomplish what needed to get done. Then I found and began using Stephen Covey’s time management matrix from his best selling book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. As depict

We are problem solvers, so when faced with a workplace issue, we are wired to focus on solutions. However, research suggests people are...

Aligning your values with your work impacts your job satisfaction and health. Research from McKinsey has found that “people who say they are ‘living their purpose’ at work report levels of well-being that are five times higher than those of people who aren’t.” Not surprisingly, these individuals are also more engaged in their work. McKinsey developed a matrix based on nine personal values that are recognized across cultures. I recreated the matrix below. The horizontal axis r

By Oriah It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for and if you dare to dream of meeting your...