When we work with clients on their own custom professional development survey, they often ask for our advice on survey items. In seeking our input, the easiest point for us to address is about potential open-ended questions. In most cases, an excellent choice is to ask something like, “What is your best advice for me […]

“Do you feel like you know what is expected of you?” That is one of my favorite questions to ask employees because it can lead to a lot of clarity. First, I should acknowledge that I encountered this question while reading, How to be a Great Boss, by Gino Wickman. While I appreciated the whole […]

Early in my career, I had four consecutive bosses comment, “I need another Michael.” I took that as a real compliment and very much appreciated it; however, my one complaint—especially with the first boss to say it—was regarding the timing. In that particular case, I was a research assistant to a professor in my second […]

Act on Feedback We have discussed how to explore and share feedback. Now it is time to act on the feedback. In Part 2 of this article, we discussed sharing your feedback with others. The act of sharing is the first step in acting on the results; however, it is not enough to make a […]

Exploring Leads to Sharing In Part 1 of this article, which focused on exploring feedback, we provided some tips about how to get comfortable with the feedback and not be too defensive. As you explore and learn about your feedback, it will naturally lead you toward sharing the results with others. Whom should you share your […]

My mom recently told me something that my siblings and I did during a very difficult time in her life that apparently left more of an impression on her than it did me. She was in her room, and the five of us kids walked in together, lined up from the oldest, who was about […]

We give a lot of attention to how to provide feedback to other people. We give less attention to how we should receive the feedback to help us improve. The following are six guiding principles that can help us receive feedback given to us. You can apply these principles to most situations in which you […]

Ignorance Is Not Bliss Have you ever looked in the mirror and discovered a little piece of spinach stuck in your teeth and then thought, “Has that been there since lunch? I’ve been talking to people all afternoon. Why didn’t anybody tell me about it?” If somebody had told you earlier that there was spinach […]