The annual appraisal is a staple of corporate life, and it's the sole means of doling out feedback on employee performance for many businesses. Unfortunately, annual appraisals are rarely done on a yearly basis at most companies – they simply aren't a priority for most business leaders. What's more, these appraisals usually only take the last two to three months into account. Managers just don't have the time or interest to keep tabs on an employee for an entire...

In my most recent blog post, I addressed the definition of soft skills and explained why they are so important in the modern business landscape. To recap, soft skills are essentially the interpersonal talents that people use on the job to communicate, interact and empathize with others. Unlike the so-called hard skills that refer to a person's ability to perform his or her job requirements, these skills are not taught or nurtured very easily. They are also quite difficult to describe,...