By Peter Jeff
The Leadership Mints Guy

Here’s an idea to break down communications barriers. Reading time: 4:35

“Respice adspice, prospice. See you on the 24th at 9 am.” Potius sero quad numquam.”

That’s the entire note that a vice president e-mailed to each member of his staff under the subject line: Your Annual Review. Only the specific time changed on each personalized e-mail.

The vice president clearly got his staff engaged—if only to force them to look up the translation of the Latin phrases.

He knew he was late again in conducting annual reviews. He also knew his tardiness last year and the year before that rubbed off on the staff so much that annual reviews had become perfunctory minimum salary increases. They no longer bought into the management notion that the annual review served as a strategic assessment tool that would turbo-charge their personal careers and enhance the overall viability of the company.

The vice president knew he had to change that mindset. His own leadership viability depended on it.

His mea culpa (my fault) rekindled new vitality in the annual review process with an e-mail note that invited his staff to really examine where they are and where that want to go in their career. The English translation: “Look and examine your past, present and future.” Then after inviting each to a specific meeting date and time, he wrote “Better late than never.” Continue reading →