Good morning, Team! It’s Friday!

I think everyone asks this question one way or the other. Whether on the surface or deeper down, we all want to have purpose, add value, and make a difference. We also want to know how our efforts are perceived by others, especially those we work for and those our efforts are intended to benefit.

Performance reviews have traditionally been a once a year event, but we now know five minutes a day or half an hour every other week is much more effective. If you relate this to your significant other, if you only told them once a year that you loved them, how do you think your relationship would be going?

As leaders, we hope that our efforts to influence, grow and … lead people, business units or companies will make a significant difference. Not just to pay the bills but to enrich the soul.

A few weeks back, I received some feedback from a leader who I worked with fifteen years ago. She said “You taught me some great life lessons early on in my career.” I’ll take feedback, constructive or otherwise, and whenever it comes. This was humbling and validating. It came from a time when we were in the throes of a corporate turn around. You hope you are doing the right thing but you never really know until you close the feedback loop. The numbers reflected the business performance and the company in question made the transition and is thriving today! The people are what really matter. Investing in them so they can pay it forward is the real reward.

What’s the takeaway? Provide feedback to your people. Regular feedback. It shouldn’t feel like you are complying with an HR mandate. It should be conversational but professional and leave them feeling like you care…because you do.

Have a blessed Memorial Day weekend!

Eric