by Jason Lauritsen | Oct 29, 2025 | Performance, Management, Relationships, Strategy, Workplace
The performance appraisal process is broken. While positioned as a tool to manage performance, it’s primarily designed to create documentation to justify both compensation and disciplinary decisions. If you’re in a position to fix this process for your organization,...
by Jason Lauritsen | Oct 16, 2025 | Uncategorized, Checking-In, Engagement, Performance
I’m in my band dad era. I saw that phrase on a t-shirt recently and thought, “I need that shirt.” My two youngest kids are both in varsity marching band. That might sound fun (and it is), but for our family, it also means long hours and a lot of commitment each fall....
by Jason Lauritsen | Sep 22, 2025 | Leadership, Performance
In 2012, Joe Gerstandt and I published Social Gravity: Harnessing the Natural Laws of Relationships. In it, we shared six “laws” for building meaningful relationships. The one that always got the strongest reaction was: Always be authentic. We argued that authenticity...
by Jason Lauritsen | Aug 26, 2025 | Performance, Management
My war against performance appraisals started the first time I encountered them. I vividly remember how silly and unjust it felt. Learning that my peers had been complaining about me, but my boss chose to hold that feedback until now. Surprise! You thought you were...
by Jason Lauritsen | Aug 21, 2025 | Leadership, Performance
“The obstacle is the way.” This quote, often attributed to the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, is a core tenet of stoicism. It points to an annoying and inevitable truth. What we want most is usually found on the other side of something we would rather avoid. It...
by Jason Lauritsen | May 20, 2025 | Performance, Checking-In
Recently, my teenage daughter got hit with some feedback she didn’t love. It was the kind of feedback that holds up a mirror and reflects back something you didn’t intend— and probably didn’t want to see. Her response? First, hurt. Then...
