It's hard to believe we are days away from the end of the 1st Quarter of 2017! Many of you  will be having Quarterly Reviews next week, & I thought this article was timely. Ultimately, setting & achieving goals is what work ( & life, for that matter),  is all about, so having clear, set goals, and a definitive path to achieve those goals, is critical to meeting those objectives.  It always amazes me how often employees are not clear on precisely what is expected of them, and what will earn them a promotion, and conversely, what will cost them their job. There are also  many managers out there that do not set clear, achievable goals for their employees. As always, communication is the key to success. Making a point to continually be touching base with your direct supervisor, verifying that you are doing the right thing, and asking what you can do to be a superstar, will set you head and shoulders above 90% of the others. It makes no sense to hold your breath during your review, wondering what the reaction of your manager will be. You should always be cognizant of your goals and objectives, and be focused on achieving those goals on a daily basis. If you are not crystal clear on what you need to be doing in order to get the biggest raise possible and align yourself for a promotion, ASK!  If you are a manager and your employees are consistently not meeting their objectives, work on making those objectives as clear as possible, and then focus on holding your team accountable during the execution phase, rather than just at the finish line. Read more to learn 'Best Practices' in coming out of your Reviews with a 5 Star Rating!  

Cardinal rule # 1...NEVER put anything in an e-mail, that can at any point in the future  be referred to as 'Exhibit A".  Read more to learn of 5 more important rules to keep in mind when utilizing e-mail to communicate.