Evaluation and Improvement

Culpeper Chamber of Commerce

Culpeper Star Exponent

January 19, 2015

Debbie Stohlman, President/CEO

debbies@culpeperchamber.com

January has arrived and with it colder temps, post-holiday diets, and football, football, and more football.  I am just about football-ed out!  I thoroughly enjoy the sport and find it a perfect excuse for extended sitting (AKA napping) in front of the flat screen.  I also enjoy the theatrics of it all, especially the on-air broadcast personalities.

Whether it be the pre-game talking heads, the play-by-play booth announcers, or the post-game "Monday morning quarterbacks", I find their profession fascinating.  Yet, I wonder if the subjects of the endless banter find it as interesting?  Owners, coaches, and players must have very thick skins to endure the sharp criticism which often accompanies the fame, praise, and glory.  I wonder if the old axiom "praise in public but criticize in private" really applies to those in the limelight of athletics? How do professional athletes handle this aspect of their professions? Does it spur them on to better performance or weigh them down with frustration and aggravation? I wonder how our businesses would fare under such high-visibility scrutiny where a broadcaster announced or provided commentary on each strategic move or management decision!

For many businesses, January also kicks off (pun intended) the employee performance appraisal cycle.  While I am not an "HR Professional", I am somewhat familiar with the concept of "360 degree evaluations" where members of the same work group provide performance feedback to each other in a non-traditional manner.  While this might require some measure of "thick skinned-ness" for all participants, if the process is done properly, it can be very beneficial for a work group.  Who knows, maybe it will spur you or a co-worker on to even higher levels of achievement and productivity. If you are not already doing so, perhaps consider the inclusion of your customers in a feedback process through the use of surveys or comment cards. Clearly, their feedback is paramount.

This full circle type of evaluation can also be directed inward toward ourselves and our businesses. Are we providing the best possible service to our customers, and leadership to our employees? Are there opportunities for us to tweak business plans to help grow our businesses and improve bottom lines?

January is always the time for resolutions. One really needs to know where one is, before charting a path for change.  Stop, take a minute or two and critically analyze the performance of yourself and your business with that same levels of “thick skinned-ness”....seek continuous improvement and you will find it.