5 ways to refresh a stale performance review process

South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley has always set the bar high for herself and her players, but after the Gamecock's win Sunday over the Iowa Hawkeyes to become the NCAA champions, she displayed a top leadership trait by thanking Iowa's leading player Caitlin Clark "for lifting up our sport," and handling her new-found fame "with class," writes Jason Aten. "As a leader, your job is to use your platform to elevate those around you," Aten notes.

Put it into practice: Iowa's Caitlin Clark also set a good leadership example last week when she said she wants to be remembered not as someone who won a certain amount of games or scored so many points but as an inspiration for younger boys and girls "to play this sport or dream to do whatever they want to do in their lives." Both Staley's and Clark's willingness to share the spotlight with others "is one of the best leadership lessons I've seen yet," Aten writes.

Improve your company's performance review process by focusing on continuous growth of employee skills, ongoing feedback from leaders and peers and ensuring it all aligns with the company's goals and values, writes human resources expert Tammy Perkins. "Employees should clearly understand how their work contributes to the organization's success, and leaders should recognize them for embodying company values," Perkins notes.

Put it into practice: Use performance management software to streamline the process of continuous feedback and help employees track their progress and identify trends, Perkins advises. "Additionally, technology can facilitate anonymous feedback, which might encourage more honest and constructive input."

If you believe a coworker or boss is a narcissist because they relentlessly promote themselves or lack empathy, set boundaries on your interactions, control your emotions around them and document your interactions with them, says Ted Leonhardt, a career coach and negotiation expert. Realize their actions stem from their insecurities and have nothing to do with you, so you should not let how they treat you affect your self-worth, Leonhardt recommends.

Put it into practice: Seek support from friends, family and other co-workers to cope with a narcissistic colleague and document interactions, but be prepared to transfer or even leave your job if you report their behavior, Leonhardt notes. "Telling on your boss is risky territory."

Using the image of a pickle jar to represent your day can help you prioritize tasks, filling it first with "rocks" -- which represent urgent tasks -- then "pebbles" that need to be dealt with but are less critical, followed by "sand," such as checking email and finally "water" or your personal life, writes Howie Jones. Make the best use of your pickle jar by ruthlessly prioritizing your tasks, planning for the unexpected, saying no to off-task requests and reviewing your goals and priorities frequently.

When a neighbor is playing their music a bit too loud for our taste, we may wish we had something -- anything -- to make it stop. Argentinian programmer and artist Roni Bandini found such a way by creating a machine he calls "Reggaeton Be Gone" (dubbed thusly because his neighbor loves reggae), a device that uses AI to recognize the sounds of the genre and sends a signal that jams his neighbor's speakers, returning quiet to the land. Bandini admits his box may be illegal but says, "[L]istening to reggaeton every day at 9 a.m. should definitely be illegal."

I knew that Sunday's game between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Iowa Hawkeyes for the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship was not to be missed, and I was right. What an amazing game! The display of skill and prowess on the court was a thing of beauty.

I was heartened, just like Jason Aten, at coach Dawn Staley's generosity toward Iowa's Caitlin Clark in her postgame remarks. I live in Columbia, S.C., and Staley is a state (if not a national) treasure and has always been a class act. I kept hearing her team and commentators talk about their "unselfish" playing style -- allowing each team member to shine in their own way.

Another great leadership lesson from Staley, though, is that she has built a team with no weak links. South Carolina players coming off the bench scored 37 points in their 87-75 win, with Iowa benchers scoring zero.

Staley has ensured that everyone on her team gets time on the court and has the skills they need to succeed when they get there. Everyone knows their place on the team, which boosts engagement and loyalty. That's the mark of not just talented team members but also a good leader who can foster their best qualities and hold them accountable for not just their success but the team's.

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