It's almost Halloween, and for some organizations, the thought of another round of performance reviews is downright frightening! If your process feels more like a dreaded annual exercise than something that actually improves performance, it may be time for a change. Here are four ways to take the fright out of performance management: 1. Make feedback more frequent. An annual review shouldn't be the first time employees hear how they're doing. Regular check-ins help address co

Growth is exciting. It can also expose cracks in the way an organization manages people. What worked when the company was smaller may not work as it grows. The owner or business leader can no longer be involved in every decision. Managers are expected to handle situations they may never have been trained to address. And processes that once lived in someone’s head need to become clearer, more consistent, and easier for others to follow. The problems may show up as turnover, po

Have you ever had to lead—or simply work alongside—someone who was never happy, stirred up drama, and seemed to drain the energy from everyone around them? Most leaders can identify that employee. The harder part is knowing what to do about it. One difficult employee can have a big impact on morale, productivity, trust, and even retention. Recently, I've been helping several clients work through situations like this, so I thought I'd share a few strategies that can help. 7 Ti

Discover the people issues that quietly impact performance, retention, and results.

Over time, gossip damages trust, morale, and culture more than many organizations realize. There are ways you can reduce gossip and encourage direct, respectful communication. Learn more about the hidden cost of gossip—and what leaders and employees can do

This post shares information around tolerating small things that can result in disengagement, frustration, and even turnover over time.

This article helps readers to know how high-performing teams create clarity and accountability.

Discover why your managers avoid accountability and how to address this.

Every organization says some version of this: “We just have too much drama.” This probably looks like: Water cooler conversations Frustration bubbling under the surface People venting about one another The meeting after the meeting Avoided conversations Escalations that shouldn’t have been escalations Gossip And almost every time, someone attributes it to a personality problem. But here’s what I’ve learned after 30+ years in HR and organizational development: Drama is rarely

This post shares the distinction between being kind and being nice. And that clarity is the kind approach.

This post is about performance management, why and how it is broken, and how to fix it.

Performance and accountability are critical elements to a positive employee experience.

Core values should be one of the most powerful tools a company has. They’re the beliefs and behaviors that guide how you hire, lead, make decisions, and hold people accountable. In a healthy culture, values act as a compass, shaping everything from strategy to everyday interactions. But here’s the honest truth: Most organizations either don’t have core values… or they aren’t using them. As an HR Consultant, I often walk into companies where the values are framed on a wall, bu

Are We in a Workplace Culture Crisis? If you work in HR or leadership, you don’t need data to tell you something feels “off” right now. You’re living it. Hearing it. Trying to fix it. Culture has always been important—but lately, it feels like something is off. So… are we in a workplace culture crisis? In my opinion, yes. And I don’t say that lightly. Let’s break down what’s going on—and what leaders can do about it. Why Culture Feels So Turbulent Right Now The last 5 years h

Sound familiar? Mary Manager and HR Hank are discussing Debbie Deadlinemisser: Mary Manager: “Every time a project is due, Debbie shows...

We’ve all seen it. A toxic employee who goes unchecked. A high performer who’s quietly disengaging. A team that’s operating more like a...

In last week’s post , we explored the importance of getting the right people on the bus—bringing the right talent into your organization....

I strongly feel that the three biggest people problems are the results of three things that can be summed up in an ABC acronym. A –...

In my experience, accountability (or lack of) is one of the biggest problems in most workplaces. According to a Harvard Business Review...

Would you like to have less drama and more accountability on your team? This strategy can help! Team Ground Rules These are guidelines...