The Crow

Brevity is the Soul of...Performance Reviews

 
Alas, poor Yorick! Taken from Wikipedia, David Tennant using Alexander Tchiakowsky's skull. Gross. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yorick

I responded to a Quora question today. The question was "How should startups handle performance reviews? Not just performance reviews, but compensation adjustments, promotions, etc. to help invest and develop employees. How can this be handled optimally assuming the management team believes this is important and worthwhile, while not adding unnecessary process or overhead?"

I noticed several people recommended rypple.com as a useful tool. I am going to check it out, although everyone who recommended it probably works there. No, I am not cynical, just...pragmatic.

There are many tools that can be used (of course, there's also paper and pencil), but what it comes down to is common sense. You shouldn't need an army of HR people to make sure managers are talking to their people, giving feedback and setting expectations.
 
Get the leaders of the organization together twice a year to talk about the company's talent. During these meetings, they can agree upon comp adjustments, promotions, and the performance of individuals. They can then take that feedback back to the employees and share it, good bad or indifferent.
 
Do you need to memorialize it all? Ideally, sure. But, as long as you get the key items down...pay changes, title changes, and maybe a few bullets on goals or feedback, that's fine. We all have a tendency to overengineer this stuff.

As an employee, what can you do about an annoyingly overengineered review process? You have to play the game to some degree. If they want a self review, write one. But, there's no need to write war and peace. In the words of...someone...Shakespeare? Brevity is the soul of wit! And business. Not that I would know.

Quora link here: http://www.quora.com/How-should-startups-handle-performance-reviews

tracy c

 

Perception=Reality: 12x12x12 Rule

 
 
Photo courtesy NickiandJulie on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/altesmith/5251582838/

Perception is reality. How many times have you heard that saying? Probably enough to know that the way you’re perceived does affect the business you conduct (or don’t conduct) with other people. This is especially true when it comes to networking and meeting someone for the first time, and this is where the 12 x 12 x 12 rule becomes so important.

What is the 12 x 12 x 12 rule? Basically, it involves three questions: 1. How do you look from 12 feet away? 2. How do you look from 12 inches away? 3. What are the first 12 words out of your mouth?  This is perception versus reality- and it is very important to create the right perception of yourself and your business. The 12 x 12 x 12 rule looks at you from the perspective of other people and shows you how to optimize their perception.

 Here are the specifics of the 12 x 12 x 12 rule and how you can manage the perception others have of you.

• LOOK THE PART. You’d be surprised how many people fall short in the fundamental area of appearance. Wear nice clothes. You need to be well rested when attending a morning meeting. If you’re not a morning person, hit the sack earlier the night before so you avid looking like the walking dead.
• BODY LANGUAGE. When it comes to forming networking relationships, a lot of important information is communicated through cues such as posture, facial expression, and hand gestures. Avoid standing rigid with your arms crossed.
• GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER. Always have business cards and know which pocket they are in. Handing a potential referral partner someone else’s card is embarrassing. Smile when meeting somebody for the first time. You can avoid grinning and shaking hands like a hyperactive clown- that’s going little overboard. Just show you’re having a good time- that will send the right message.
• HAVE YOUR FIRST 12 WORDS READY. When someone asks what you do, make sure you’re ready with a succinct response. I advise my clients to come up with a “unique selling proposition” (USP). Here’s an example: When someone asks what you do, avoid replying with a bland, general statement such as “I’m a consultant”. That tells me nothing. Instead, you could say, “I work with small businesses to help them attract more clients than they could possibly handle”. This is short and powerful. A USP is obviously something you’ll have to tailor to your specific business. Whatever 12 (or 16, or 20) words you choose, make sure your answer is quick and informative.

Perception is reality when it comes to meeting people for the first time. By keeping the 12 x 12 x 12 rule in mind, you’ll go a long way toward creating the right impression in the blink of an eye!

Shawn McCarthy

Guest Blogger Shawn McCarthy is the Executive Director of BNI (Business Network Int’l) in Ventura County. BNI was founded in 1985 as a way for businesspeople to generate referrals in a positive and structured environment. The organization is the world’s largest referral network and has 6,000 chapters in 48 countries. The program is designed for businesspeople to develop long term relationships, thereby creating a basis for trust and, inevitably referrals. Shawn lives in Ventura County and enjoys basketball- he once scored 44 points in a city league game! For more information about the 28 Ventura County chapters of BNI, feel free to contact him at (805) 850 – 0157 or check out bni-vc.com.  

 

 

 

Listen to a Cry for Help

 

Amy Winehouse - You Know I'm No Good found on R&B 

I liked Amy Winehouse. It was obvious she was a total train wreck, but she was a talented one. And she wore her heart on her sleeve. I loved her vulnerability, her truthfulness, and her amazing voice. I related to her on some level.  Maybe a few.  So did a lot of people, which is why she sold a lot of records (well, people don’t sell records anymore, but you know what I mean).

It seems so tragic and yet this woman I don’t even know, I was just thinking a couple of days ago, “she’s probably going to die young.  Soon, even.” Where the hell were her friends? Family? If I could tell she was on the road to ruin and I didn’t even know her…where were these people?

Do you have a friend or coworker (or both) who needs an intervention? What are you waiting for? The news report? So you can say, “dang, I knew he needed help, but…” No buts! Get off of yours and say something. Do something. Anything. Do your best. Let's not let another young, talented person die unnecessarily because no one had the cojones to help them.

tracy c