Laura Wolfe Coaching LLC

Supporting the Evolution of Careers, Leaders,

& Climate Consciousness

HR Brain Twister

By

An organization uses upward feedback for its managers. These numeric ratings become a part of the employee’s permanent performance record. Administrative decisions are made based on this information.

In the last year, employees were asked to rate their managers’ performance on a scantron-type form; same form has been used for about 5 years. They were given no instruction as whether to use pen or pencil. In recent years, both pen and pencil were fine.

Because of budget cuts, the data were sent to a facility with machines that could only read the responses done in pencil. There was no money to re-analyze data. The organization decided to use the ratings, knowing that any responses done in pen were not included in the results. The ratings are now a part of the managers’ permanent performance record.

Was this an appropriate action?

Would love your thoughts and opinion.  A future blog post will summarize the results.

Cheap Fast or Good

By

Doing home improvement projects provides a perfect window for observing the service-based economy that is today’s USA. We are on our second fixer and someone I know recently completed a major home renovation. She and I have home improvement experiences that would curl your hair. After an 18 month project she concluded that as consumers we want the services we purchase to be fast, cheap and good.

The reality is you can usually only get two of those qualities. You can have:

  • fast and cheap but the quality isn’t there
  • fast and good but it’s expensive
  • cheap and good but it takes awhile

Rarely can you get all three; often only one is possible.

And that’s OK because if the three together are readily available, the best service providers aren’t being rewarded for their superb skill and mastery. Financial success for people in the community grows the local economy and the national economy. Many products and services can be outsourced but certain ones, like fixing the gas leak under the house, must be done locally. And I wanted that done good and fast.

Career tip: be really good or good and fast at something and you’ll be richly rewarded.