Heads up! The Chief Happiness Officer is urging people to complain at work. His point is that complaining in a constructive way can make the workplace better. Fair enough, but what if you are a new manager and you are the one listening to all of these complaints?
I just read this article at cio.com. It had some excellent advice about how to give, and how not to give, feedback to others in the workplace. Feedback is one of the most powerful tools in a manager’s toolbox. Use it early; use it often. It is far better to give regular feedback than to save it up for performance review time.
I just ran across this article.
I was talking to a relatively young developer the other day. I asked him about his career plans. “Oh, I don’t do career planning myself. I wait until my manager talks to me.”
Oops. Your career is your responsibility.
The article then moves on to give some specific advice for growing your technical career.
I’m constantly surprised by how many people think that career planning is something that their manager will do. Oddly, when these same people become managers they very rarely help their reports with career planning. Maybe it’s because their manager didn’t help them? Maybe it’s because they don’t really know how to do it themselves?
What does this mean for you? First, take control of your own career plan. Second, if you are a manager, help your people with their career plans; it will make you stand out in their minds as an excellent manager.