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 […]

Shortly after moving to Arizona I noticed more people riding road bicycles than I had ever seen in Utah or Idaho. Talking with my retired uncle I found out he rode his bike several miles a day, multiple times a week. It got me thinking that cycling is something that I could do. On a […]

Sometimes we’ll pick and choose what feedback we want to listen to, and the rest of it goes out the other ear. Why bother with advice that doesn’t align with how we view ourselves? No one likes to be reminded of their weakness or blind spots. Even when the blind spot could be the very […]

“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 […]

We get to work with a lot of great people who want to provide a way for their clients or employees to receive feedback. During this process, we often help develop, revise, or refine survey items. We’d like to share 10 tips about common issues we have seen with creating survey items over the years. […]

“Useless! What else can you not do?” My former supervisor said to me one day on the job in front of a customer. They had asked me to complete a task I wasn’t familiar with, and I needed some help. The outburst was not the reaction I was expecting or needed. I was taken aback […]

My wife and I had just finished getting some groceries when we were in our car stopped at a light waiting to exit the parking lot. It was winter in Idaho, and it was snowing. I was watching the traffic and noticed a car that was coming towards us with the blinker on. As it […]

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 […]

Feedback Anxiety Have you ever learned something at work that turned out to be helpful in your personal life too? My wife, Sally, is taking a course toward a professional certification. Once a month the class has an observation session. In these sessions they each receive feedback from their instructor and their fellow students. These […]

My parents immigrated to the US in 1988 to fulfill their dreams of owning a home with a backyard in a neighborhood where their children could ride their bikes freely. It was challenging. They came here with nothing; my mother cleaned airplanes, while my father was a bus driver. With no college degrees of their […]