Griffin Executive Coaching

"Rejection kills, disappointment only maims."

This quote from the movie The Truth About Cats and Dogs succintly targets a core challenge we face in our lives, not least of which is in our professional life.  If we are to live a life of balance and harmony, then how much credence do we give to criticism, and by extension, to praise.

The battlefield this week seems to be "feedback" - as in, "can I offer you a little feedback?"

360 degree reviews and performance evaluations of almost any kind, are intrinisically useless.  And yet, corporations spend truckloads of cash building systems to track what people do, when they do it, and how well they do it. 

Sounds like a smart objective, except that at its very core, these reviews are not truthful.  Because they can't be truthful. We're humans, we've all only evolved to a certain degree, we all have different values, different perspectives. 

I've coached individuals, who have come to me saying, "I've performed at the top of my rating scale for 9 years, and now suddenly, I'm an average performer?"  This company discovered that they were being too generous with their rankings, and the curve needed to shift.  Everyone was "shifted to average to make the process more meaningful." 

Huh?  Meaningful for whom? 

Here's my personal favorite - "Kelleen, what does it mean when they asked me to be a 'shining beacon of light'?"

Huh? As opposed to what - a dull, drab wisp of a spark?

Try as I might I can't explain the corporate desire to track what is in essence the will to work, the spirit of curiosity necessary to excel at work and in all things, and the heart of creative endeavor that fuels success.

Dispense with the performance systems if you legally can, have a gratitude lunch instead, and talk about what works. Be thankful for the time you give and get from your colleagues. 

If you can't completely dispense with these archaic command and control/tail wags the dog processes, then recognize that praise and criticism that come from outside of you, these have no real energy, they only have power if you feed them.  Don't feed them.