No one wants to see their boss or co-worker turn into The Incredible Hulk — but what if doing so could help them accomplish a daunting task?

According to a study recently published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, anger is a beneficial emotion when trying to accomplish a challenging goal. The researchers found that study participants who were angered by the tasks they were given had better success and faster response times than those who had a “neutral” emotion. 

The research suggests that if the person is angered by how hard their task is to complete, they will put more energy toward it, and that extra effort ultimately pays off. But before you start intentionally giving employees their least-favorite projects, be mindful of the potential downsides anger can provoke, like increased stress and even physical health changes. Also, anger isn’t a motivator for everyone. Poke your workers enough, and they may not turn into a larger-than-life green superhero but a quiet quitter instead.

The Great British Baking Show: Give feedback like Paul Hollywood

Veterans Day: How to support and retain employees who’ve served

M&M’s: Their surprising origin story in the Spanish Civil War

(Source: Love Productions)

Feedback is like a delicate soufflé: it needs to be served with care.

On The Great British Baking Show, amateurs compete for the title of best baker in Britain, testing their skills in challenges from custard tarts to molten puddings. Their creations are judged by Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood, the latter of whom is known for unfiltered yet constructive feedback that can make or break a baker’s dreams.

Here’s what The Great British Baking Show can teach you about dishing out easily digestible feedback just in time for the annual review season.

Embrace your team’s strong “flavors”

Paul Hollywood tells contestants when their flavors are perfectly balanced, which sometimes comes as a surprise. Highlighting what a team member does well gives them insight into what’s working and a chance to build on it; they might not even realize it’s a strength of theirs. Be specific: what did they do, and what was the impact?

Improvise feedback on the go

During the baking process, Paul and Prue whip up spontaneous and informal tips (usually: easier on the extract, heavier on the booze). Similarly, spontaneous and less structured feedback boosts morale and helps team members course-correct. Take the opportunity during a coffee break or after a meeting to offer encouragement, acknowledge a growth opportunity, or express gratitude.

Criticism with compassion is a recipe for success

Just as Paul Hollywood isn’t afraid to call out a stodgy cake, there are times when critical feedback is necessary. 

As with positive feedback, focus on specifics, not generalizations about someone’s personality. If appropriate, offer to help brainstorm solutions, which can help soften any defensiveness. Feedback, like making a perfectly baked good, requires specificity, confidence, and a tasteful presentation.

🤿 DIVE DEEPER  

• Your Employees Feel Underappreciated – Here’s What You Can Do to Fix It
• Tools to Measure Employee Performance
• The Future of Performance Management
• How to Improve Work Performance With a Performance Improvement Plan (Plus PIP Templates)

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Dr. Ben Baran is an associate professor at Cleveland State University and co-founder of Elevating What Works.   

Veterans Day is Nov. 11. Military veterans often bring desirable characteristics to the workplace, including adaptability, perseverance, a sense of structure and organization, and a strong work ethic.

But once hired, managers should take extra steps to retain them. Research suggests a few key behaviors by supervisors can be particularly helpful:

• Listen. For those employees who are also part-time members of the National Guard or Reserve, take the time to listen about the challenges of balancing work and military service. Doing so can give the employee a chance to share an important aspect of their life with you, which can strengthen your mutual understanding and relationship.
• Learn. Go out of your way to learn more about the employee’s military service. Within a civilian environment, veterans may struggle somewhat to feel like they belong, given that a major part of their lives — military service — isn’t something they have in common with civilian coworkers. But by learning more about what they did or currently do in the military, you can help bridge that divide while making them feel supported. It can also give you additional insight into untapped skills that the veteran may bring to your organization.
• Ask. Simply asking questions about military service can create an environment in which veterans feel like they and their military service matter. Some civilians hesitate to ask veterans questions, thinking they might bring up an uncomfortable topic, but that fear is largely unfounded. Many aspects of military service do not involve combat, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that only 7% of veterans will likely experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in their lifetimes. This is only slightly higher than PTSD prevalence among civilians.

These simple steps can help boost veterans’ job satisfaction and decrease their stress. Additionally, numerous resources exist to help employers hire and retain military veterans, including the U.S. Department of Labor’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service. 

Are you a former service member who’s now running a business? Check out our resources for veteran-owned businesses.

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We’re guessing that somewhere in your office, there’s a bowl of M&M’s tempting you daily. But did you know the sugar-coated confection was originally designed to fill the sweet tooth of soldiers on the frontline? 

In 1932, Forrest Mars Sr. encountered British volunteers in the Spanish Civil War eating heat-resistant chocolate pellets encased in hard-sugar shells. (Back then, chocolate sales fell in the summer months due to a lack of indoor cooling systems.)

In these rations, Mars saw an innovation he couldn’t pass up  — chocolate that didn’t melt — and sold his version, M&M’s, to the U.S. military through World War II. In 1950 he added the signature “m” to his chocolates and switched his focus to the mass public.

As of 2020, the Mars family has an estimated net worth between $93 billion and $126 billion. Seeing big ideas in little things often means you won’t be working for peanuts.

A candy-dispensing computer accessory? That’s just one of the strangest business patents you’ll find.

Written by Maya Afilalo and Ali Saleh. Comic by John McNamee.