"It was a very good year . . ."

It's one of my favorite Frank Sinatra masterpieces:

But now the days grow short, I'm in the autumn of the year, And now I think of my life as vintage wine, From fine old kegs, From the brim to the dregs, And it poured sweet and clear, It was a very good year.

Today is Thanksgiving. It IS the autumn of the year. And I ask my clients and colleagues to look back over the past year and see what was the vintage wine (the stuff which worked) to the dregs (the stuff that didn't).

We're not all perfect — and in my case, far from it. :)

But it's a waste of a good year not to review your highs, your successes — your home runs:

• What new clients, customers or projects did you get?
• Who did you meet and befriend — who grew your business or prominence at work?
• Where did you go? On purpose and by accident?
• When did you do it? Did you plan and act or just bump into it?
• Why did you do it? Were you assigned or asked by a client — and it took you out of your comfort zone?
• How  did you do it? What were the steps which made it special?

But it's just as important to step back and look at some of your mistakes, your wrong turns, your plans which went awry:

• What obstacle came out of nowhere and threw you for a loop?
• Who was a waste of time to work with — who hurt you, your business, or career?
• Where did you go where it took a lot of resources and didn't pay off?
• When did it happen  — did it happen multiple times? When did you procrastinate or put things off?
• Why did you do it? Were you pushed into it? Did you feel you HAD to do it? Obligation or just laziness?
• How  did it affect your career or business? What were the short term and long term effects?

Some people might say "Forget about the past — focus on the present and the future."

From this perspective, I agree. But everyone has to take some time during the year and assess what got them there and ensure they repeat the successes and the actions which streamlined their progress.

And they need to understand the wrong turns and what impact they had on their progress. It's only then you DON'T make the same mistakes again.

In any event, take today and have a relaxing, restful, tasty and filling Thanksgiving.

You've earned it. 

LEAVE YOUR QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS BELOW — I'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Your 360 Degree Assessment Stinks.

There . . . I've said it. When I googled '360 degree assessment', I received over 2,500,000 results (in 0.23 seconds - I love Google!). Even if 50%-75% are not really what we're talking about today, we're still in the ballpark of 625,000 results. So there's a LOT of 360 degree assessments out there.

So we're on the same page, a 360 degree assessment is: a tool to gather feedback from all around an employee. "360" refers to the 360 degrees in a circle, with an individual figuratively in the center of the circle. Feedback is provided by subordinates, peers, and supervisors. It also includes a self-assessment and, in some cases, feedback from external sources such as customers and suppliers or other interested stakeholders.

It's a powerful tool and used frequently when coaches are initiating coaching with executives. It gives us a better picture of what's going on in the battlefield.

The funny thing is . . . most assessments are terrible. Why?

• They've been around for a long time. Anything with a long half-life in business tends to get bigger, more complex.
• They've been institutionalized. When they become standardized, the wrong people start to make them boring and over-reaching.
• They've become a business. There are companies who do this for organizations. It's their job to make it 'important' (and big).

I've seen 160-200 question assessments. How would you like to fill out one of these for your colleagues? What would happen around question 50? I know we all would begin to get punchy and start to quickly check off answers near the middle of the range (not to severely impact the reviewee).

This is what I do — I schedule a 10 minute call with each interviewee and ask three questions (let's say about Susan, their co-worker:

• What are Susan's strengths?
• What are Susan's weaknesses?
• Anything else you'd like to add?

I use 'strengths and weaknesses' rather than what do they do wrong or right. I find it allows the reviewee to open up about the person and talk about them as a member of their team. First you get emotions, then I probe for more factual items. I'll say, "Give me an example."

The best part?  I get straightforward answers and use no more than 10 minutes of their time. Just as we start . . . it's over.

I then take all the information and summarize it into two buckets ('Qualities that are well developed' and 'Qualities that need attention') and try to mix it together so the client doesn't immediately recognize who said it. It's better they focus on what is being said and not who.

Every time, when I show the documents to the person who has hired me, the results are always spot on. 

Try it! You might like it.

POST YOUR QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS BELOW

P.S. If you'd like more information about how I deliver a 360 degree assessment - Let’s talk. I’ve worked with thousands of executives and find this is a perfect way to start a coaching relationship — call or email me to schedule a complimentary session.

1Q11 - What Have You Done So Far?

It's the end of the first quarter of 2011. Three months, 90 days . . . what have you accomplished? This is a great time to look back and review what you did — what went right and what went wrong. Time to measure, monitor and regroup for the next 90 days. Ask yourself:

• What was the biggest thing you accomplished?
• What made the biggest impact?
• Who did I meet and how did they change my business?
• How many clients did you close? Did you lose any? Fire any?
• How much money did you bring in?
• What did you learn?
• Where do you go next?
• Why did I do those stupid things? (my favorite)

I love the end of quarters — it allows me to hone in on what I accomplished, where I dropped the ball, and what I have to do next to accelerate the whole bailiwick.

If you don't do it, someone else will.

How do you monitor and measure yourself?