1️⃣ A management job is an expensive sales bonus Research on sales promotions found that firms favoured current sales performance over indicators of managerial ability. Strong individual results did not reliably identify the best future managers.
💡 Why it matters Reward sales results without making management the only route up. Look for evidence of improving other people’s work.
☕ Coffee talk Does your top seller want to run the team, or is that just the only promotion you offer?
2️⃣ Ask for advice you can use next time Experiments on developmental input found that asking for advice, rather than feedback, elicited more concrete suggestions. They did not establish that recipients’ performance improved.
💡 Why it matters For development conversations, ask what to change next time. Keep that separate from rating past performance.
☕ Coffee talk How many comments in your last review told you what to do differently on Monday?
3️⃣ The boss’s joke has a captive audience INSEAD’s September essay warns that laughter around a boss is a poor test of humor. Experimental research finds inappropriate jokes can reduce perceived competence and status.
💡 Why it matters Avoid making a direct report the punchline. Laughter at the all-hands may reflect deference to your position.
☕ Coffee talk Would that all-hands joke survive without your job title attached?