Expecting a bad evaluation? What to do today.

Evaluation season is coming up soon. I recently received a question that might be paraphrased as follows, with identifying information removed: “I’ve had a difficult couple of years for reasons that are partly out of my control (a serious, but now resolved, health issue and a slowdown in the work available) and partly [...]

Peak or valley? Performing a realistic and meaningful self-evaluation

Just about every firm has some formal mechanism for evaluating associates. The format varies, but the general idea is always the same: to collect feedback on how well each associate is performing and to pass that on to the associate, preferably with some comments about how the associate might improve. Fair enough, except [...]

Retreating for professional reflection

As soon as I finish typing this post, I am going on retreat for the weekend. I’ve checked into a hotel that has a nice view, a good desk, 24-hour room service, and oodles of peace and quiet. The high-speed ‘net connection is working here — unlike at my office — and I [...]