Category Archives: Performance appraisal

07/13/23

CEO Shoptalk: Doing The Bloody Work

Other day a CEO who had been a client pre-Pandemic calls me and wants to chat about the difficulties of getting folks back to the office who had been weaned from the office whilst working from home during the Pandemic and post-Pandemic, hardly a novel topic.

As I often do, I explored the basis for what was happening and I asked him about hiring, objective setting, performance appraisal, and compensation. We also discussed “quiet quitting” and its management equivalent: “quiet firing.” Continue reading →

12/16/21

CEO Shoptalk — End-Of-Year Reflection And Musing

A client of mine a few years ago said, “You always make me think, and I prepare for our meetings.”

That is a good thing and it makes me feel good. Nothing wrong with thinking, but it should be more than that.

At the end of every year, a CEO/founder/entrepreneur should conduct a bit of reflection and musing to consider how they are performing as compared to how they want to perform.

I am not talking solely about objectives accomplished, but the nature with which a CEO undertook her/his duties.

How should a CEO conduct her/his duties, Big Red Car?

Continue reading →

10/4/21

CEO Shoptalk — CEO Self Help, Self Appraisal

I am a huge fan of routine, standard operating procedures, process development/management, and ritual.

I am also a big fan of regular, rigorous Performance Appraisal and, in particular, Boards of Directors appraising the performance of their CEOs, and CEOs demanding an in-depth appraisal by the Board (subset of the Board is fine, try to get someone who has CEO experience on the committee).

Lazy, cowardly Boards of Directors ignore this critical professional development duty. Shame on you.

Pro tip: The methodology, timing, process of CEO Performance Appraisal belongs in any  competent Employment Agreement and professional boards/CEOs have Employment Agreements.

I am not a fan of trendy things like 360 Degree Performance Appraisals — I like bare knuckled, in your face, straightforward performance appraisal.

One of the things I practiced in 33 years of CEO-ing public and private companies, and I preach to CEOs is self appraisal. Nobody judges us as tough as we do ourselves. Think about that for a second.

CEO readying herself for performance self-appraisal.

Continue reading →

08/21/20

Performance Appraisal As Inspiration And Motivation

Performance appraisal in small to medium companies (including startups) is one of those things that CEOs equate to going to the dentist. Not only do they not like it, they are not good at it.

There are a lot of very odd ideas at play here in the performance appraisal business — 360 degree appraisals which also fold in the guy selling flowers on the street corner — which makes the process a moving target; moving targets are notoriously hard to hit.

The message I bring you today is that a suspiciously simple, well-designed and executed performance appraisal system can be the most powerful personal tool wielded by a keen CEO for inspiration and motivation of individual team members.

It can also be clean, streamlined, and painless.

Let’s take a quick look at where performance appraisal fits within the overall schema of a company’s organizational matrix. Click on the graphic to see it at a larger scale.

Business-planning-building-blocks-graphic

What I want you to see is that performance appraisal is at the foundation level of the company’s Vision, Mission, Strategy Tactics, Objectives, Values, and Culture.

Continue reading →

07/25/13

The Character Traits and Skills of the Successful CEO — Discipline

Big Red Car here.  I guess you’re getting tired of hearing about the warm, sunny weather here in the ATX.  It is July, ya’ll, and it is typical for these times.  Today will be another beautiful day in paradise.  On Earth as it is in Texas!

So The Boss is talking to one of his CEOs and the CEO says:  “Hey, I’ve got a situation which calls for a bit of discipline.  Any advice?”

Continue reading →

07/11/13

CEO Performance Appraisal

Big Red Car here.  Going to be another nice day here in the ATX.  Why not?

So The Boss was visiting with one of his CEO pals and the subject turned to the issue of performance appraisal.  CEO performance appraisal.  This particular CEO is working for a well developed company that is clearly successful and seemingly has a Board of Directors that is well constituted and attentive to their duties.

Continue reading →

06/7/13

Company Culture — Clear Definition

Big Red Car here.  OK, Old Sport, summer is here.  Going to have a few isolated thunderstorms today and then it is going to to be hot, hot, hot for the rest of June.  Oh, I love summer!  Summer in the ATX!  On Earth as it is in Austin, Texas!

So, let’s get back on the Company Culture rant and today we are going to talk about the notion of Clear Definition.  WTF, Big Red Car, what is that?

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05/25/13

C Level Employment Agreement — Short Term Incentive Compensation

Big Red Car here on a decidedly drippy and wet Saturday morning.  Ugh.  Haha, Big Red Car, get your mind right, you say.  This is late May when we get our beloved rains and our lakes fill up.

Alas, the Big Red Car is a very, very, very self-centered Big Red Car and thinks only about those handful of days in which he cannot run wild with his top down and his hair on fire.  Ahhh, it is great to be a Big Red Car.

Continue reading →