The Spoon

It's that time of year again -- time for performance appraisals!! I'm sure all of you are PUMPED about providing your employees with good feedback, so here's some help for getting the most out of the performance management process.

The November 2008 issue of Ignite! Newsletter from The Ken Blanchard Companies focuses on how leaders can deliver targeted, well-crafted feedback to grow employees and keep performance from declining.

The lesson for all you managers out there -- or anyone trying to help develop another person's skills -- is to appreciate the importance of effective feedback; understand your personal motives, agenda, and responsibility for giving feedback; and know when and how to give the various types of feedback.

Providing good feedback does not occur naturally or by default. To provide effective feedback, leaders must learn, develop, and cultivate very specific conversational skills. Read the article to learn how.