I believe the key is that they can develop professionally and personally. That there are good conditions for performance, and that they get to work with great people in a generous culture. Period.

Simple, and incredibly difficult.

When I choose to write openly about this work, I hope for good discussions and relevant feedback that will develop me and us. I receive plenty of that, and I am grateful for it.

But, my scribblings also have an unfortunate consequence.

I get inundated with calls and unpleasant emails.

The calls and emails often start with, "Hi Kristin, I read your post on LinkedIn. It's interesting that you work this way... You, who are so concerned about the well-being of employees, have you considered purchasing...?" These are vendors trying to sell us sneakers with the Stacc logo, water stations with pineapple, apple, and pear flavors, apps that provide mindfulness breaks every hour, and online fitness classes conducted from the desk.

Stop it! I can't take it anymore!

"No. I haven't considered it (I've gone crazy. And I'm fatigued. Please don't bother me, please)."

We don't need more extracurricular stuff.

We have fruit, ice cream, gourmet coffee, breakfast, sparkling water, and wine. Other, more important hygiene factors like salary, pension, and benefits are also in order, even though, to be honest, we struggle like everyone else to find the balance. Where the balance needs to be is a question I discuss every week.

Enough about that.

What I'm much more interested in is a dialogue on how we can become even better at supporting our people in a developmental way.

How can we work best with each individual's motivation as the basis for performance reviews? What conversation points are most relevant for both parties? And what does this approach require of the leaders who will conduct these conversations and follow-ups in everyday life?

I'm talking about Employee Development 2.0. That's where the battle is.

It's much harder to answer and deliver on this over time than to fill up with fun merchandise, snacks, and zen for hungry office workers. The latter just requires me to pick up the phone, and that's sorted.

Since the holiday season, I've been pondering the mystery of individual motivation - without getting there. But I'm on the right track. And I want thoughts and input from you.

I'm ready to be poked.

Preferably by someone who doesn't want to sell me something but wants to share experiences, tips, and tricks. Maybe we'll become wiser together?