With long-term trend of protecting employees' individual self esteem added to an overriding concern over expensive employee lawsuits, accountability is more a buzzword than a way of life at most companies.

This is a state of mind that has existed since 1960s, so average employee has never received real quality negative feedback -- kind of feedback that might help startle him or her out of career-dashing behavior and toward a more lucrative and successful work life.

Smart employers realize that people are their only sustainable competitive advantage. Companies hiring this year will be looking for people who are highly capable in their fields of expertise and who energize other people with whom they work. This will hold true for traditional employees as well as independent contractors who will continue to make up a larger and larger part of workforce.

Don't wait for this new world of employment, prepare yourself now to get feedback from others that will help you develop into powerful person you can be. First, begin to change way you feel about receiving feedback. Listen to messages you get from those close to you: your spouse, children, close friends, other family members. Write them down and consider them as food for thought. Begin to analyze common pieces of feedback objectively and develop ideas about what you might do if you wanted to change their perceptions.

A key factor to remember about all feedback: it is one opinion coming from another individual's unique perspective. It is up to you to consider it thoughtfully, compare it to other feedback you have received and do something positive with it. It is impossible for us to see ourselves as others see us, but very important that we don't allow these blind spots to jeopardize wonderful opportunities.

Employers have become so concerned about seeming “unfair” or worse becoming victims of lawsuits by unhappy ex-employees that they’ve stopped requiring minimum standards of employees. This can only lead to poor individual and eventually poor company performance. Your best employee performers will resent fact that you use company money to pay people who aren’t up to standard and will reduce their own level of performance or leave.

Take back power in your workplace and set standards of performance. How to fairly assess each of your employees? I use a simple three part measurement tool with acronym AWE or Able – Willing – Engaged.

Is Employee Able?

This is minimum standard of employment or continued employment. Does employee have basic job skills? Does he or she also have people skills to be able to work effectively? Does employee have family or personal issues that make it impossible for employee to work expected hours? Does employee have any emotional or physical health issues that make it impossible to do job effectively? Is he or she lacking any problem attitudes, such as racism or sexism that make them unable to be open to customer or co-worker interactions.

If you answered “no” to any of these questions, you should move employee to another job where issues aren’t going to affect their competency or transition them out of company.

Is Employee Willing?

The next level up that is also a make or break issues – is employee willing to do work available? Does employee seem happy to be at work? Does he or she genuinely care about welfare of customers, co-worker, and company in general? Does employee get to work well-rested and prepared so that he or she is able to be fully present and concentrate? Does employee gracefully take on assigned tasks? Does employee arrive at meetings on time and prepared? Is employee open to dialogue and answering questions related to his or her work?