Have you heard? Annual performance reviews have been rated ‘needs improvement’. From CEOs to employees, and from HBR to Fast Company to Deloitte University Press, there is an overwhelming consensus that current approaches to performance management – anchored around the dreaded annual review – are broadly ineffective. According to a Deloitte University Press report, less than 50% of CEOs believed that their performance management approach helped drive employee engagement or business results. Further, less than 10% of HR leaders believe that annual performance reviews result in accurate information, and less than 4% of employees feel that it is the best way to motivate and engage them. In response to this disappointing data, companies are moving quickly. Most large companies are actively experimenting with performance management systems, and some have eliminated annual reviews entirely. The challenge is that while the data is clear on what doesn’t work, there is no clear consensus on what does. The inevitable period of experimentation and transition to come will challenge managers – as many of them will be asked to ‘fly the plane while its being built’. Arming them with the skills to thrive during this period of transition will be vital. Click here to read the whitepaper. Listen up! There is a fundamental difference between simply hearing someone and truly listening to what they are saying –a difference that can cost your company in terms of time, money, and relationships. If this is not news for anyone, than why is it that so many workplaces are still plagued with poor listeners? Listening, although easy to understand, is a skill that is challenging to master. Using over 2,500 action plans from real Third Factor clients, Director of Training, Peggy Baumgartner, uncovers the secret to successful listening. She will step you through the key factors that distinguish the clients that saw an improvement in their listening abilities from the ones that prioritized listening, yet didn’t achieve results. It’s time to open your minds (and ears) up to the idea of refining your listening skills. Click here to download the whitepaper. We are living in the age of pressure. Many businesses are facing disruption from technology, artificial intelligence and automation. At home, many people are caring for children and aging parents simultaneously. And around us, rapid political and environmental changes are creating unprecedented uncertainty. Yet, some people thrive under pressure. They learn to use it as a source of growth and inspiration. If channeled effectively, pressure can lead to high performance and personal growth – but that’s not always the case. So, how do individuals, leaders, and organizations learn to harness the positives from pressure and mitigate its dark side? In this whitepaper, Performance Coaching CEO Dane Jensen discusses what causes us to feel pressure, explores what happens to the human body and mind when we experience pressure, and looks at ways to transform pressure into growth. Click here to download the whitepaper. Skills allow us to execute. Meta-skills like empathy, resilience, creativity, and self-awareness allow us to evolve. As organizations and industries face increasingly rapid change and disruption, in which job descriptions are fluid and agility is essential, meta-skills are fast becoming the currency of talent. In this white-paper, Third Factor CEO Dane Jensen lays out a framework (shown below) for six key meta-skills that allow individuals and organizations to see clearly, move quickly, and stay the course. Packed with ideas on how to foster the development of meta-skills for yourself, and for those you lead, this article is a primer for individuals and organizations who want to direct their own evolution and claim an uncertain future. Click here to download the whitepaper.