I'm getting some feedback...

Typically, if you say the word “feedback,” I immediately tense up and am taken back to any number of awkward interactions, usually scheduled around the time of an annual review, in which I had to list my biggest accomplishments for the previous year and talk about the things I wanted to work on in the upcoming year.  The feedback I then received from my manager usually ended up being a “keep up the good work,” and “same time next year.”

Of course, the idea of feedback has changed very much.  According to Krietner and Kinicki, the two main functions of feedback should be to instruct and to motivate.  Managers who take time to provide instructional and motivational feedback to their employees are influencing individuals and as a result, building stronger teams. 

Looking to up your feedback game? Try to make your feedback: 

Emotional Intelligence: EI-EI-Oh!

When I am working with new employees, I usually ask them to do some form of personality or behavioral assessment.  These assessments help us figure out what type of work they most enjoy (so we can match them up to the right job), where their strengths and weaknesses lie (so we can help them create a development plan), and what their current “emotional intelligence” - EI -  score is.  We measure emotional intelligence to determine a person’s ability to handle himself and interact with others.  A high score indicates