“How am I doing?”

– Ed Koch, lawyer and politician

Ed Koch, the former mayor of New York City who passed away last February, was well known for the quote above. This short question is perhaps the quickest and simplest possible example of a performance appraisal.

During their careers, many business professionals experience a wide variety of feedback vehicles, including the famous 360° feedback tool that can approach 100 pages in length. Who has that much time these days?

Koch used his simple question to ask the citizens of New York for feedback so he could make appropriate adjustments to his leadership to improve his performance and hopefully serve his constituents better.

Exercise:

Consider asking this question of those closest to you in your personal and professional life as it relates to the numerous roles you play.

If you take their coaching and adjust your approaches, looking for what works to your advantage and other people’s advantage, I’m sure you will experience greater success.

Please consider replying to let me know how we are doing with The Quotable Coach series. Thank you.