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Feedback:
The Fuel for Great Performance
By Vicki Anderson
Why bother to give people regular feedback?
Feedback is useful information given for the
purpose of continuing positive performance
or for improving performance to a positive
state.
For people to give good performance they
must know what is expected of them and then
receive feedback confirming or denying they
are actually meeting those expectations. If
people do not receive feedback confirming
that their performance meets the
expectations set, they may either give up or
try something different to elicit a response
from management.
Recognize Good Performance
When people are doing what you want them to
do, you want to make sure they continue
doing it. Too often, people don't take the
time to recognize good solid performance.
They wait until spectacular performance
happens. Unfortunately, that happens too
infrequently for the reward to be effective.
Everyday appreciation and feedback about
what a person is doing right gives them
information they can use about how to do
their job well.
Rewards don't have to be about money. The
method of recognition should be appropriate
to action taken. It should also be something
that would be valued by the receiver. It
might be a simple thank you, a handwritten
note, a meeting announcement, a note on the
bulletin board, a gold star, or any number
of no-cost methods. Some people like public
recognition, while others want it privately.
One of the most positive motivators is
simply showing people how their work makes a
difference. Tune in to what motivates
individuals and capitalize on it.
Contrary to popular belief, you cannot
recognize good performance enough as long as
it is sincere. People love to hear what they
are doing right so they can continue doing
it and getting rewarded for it.
Correct Unacceptable Performance Immediately
If performance does not meet expectations,
feedback in the form of useful information
to correct behavior must be given at the
earliest sign of unacceptable performance.
The earlier the information is given, the
sooner the person is able to meet
expectations. When corrective feedback can
be given early, there is little emotion tied
to the information. It is simply a matter of
sharing information about what is wrong that
needs to be corrected. Most people want to
do their work correctly and would welcome
this information.
When a manager fails to give corrective
feedback early, the employee believes no
news is good news and continues that
behavior. By the time employees receive
feedback that performance is unacceptable,
it is embarrassing to them to find that what
was considered good performance is actually
unacceptable. The result is usually
defensiveness on the part of the employee
and frustration on the part of the manager.
When feedback is given under the latter
scenario, it is rarely in the form of useful
information for the employee. It is usually
in the form of a 'chewing out.' When that
happens, high emotion is attached to both
sides and feelings become a barrier for the
exchange of useful information.
Since most people think of feedback as
negative, both givers and receivers resist
it. Managers avoid giving negative feedback
because they don't want to engage in the
conflict that often follows. However, this
can be minimized by dealing with performance
issues early and by focusing on the facts
and the behavior, not the person. The 'who'
did it is only material to 'what happened.'
When you are able to discuss the facts at
the earliest sign of negative performance,
it is easier to keep the 'who' finger
pointing out of the discussion.
Conveying Positive Intent
When giving feedback you must convey
positive intent if you want others to accept
it as useful information. Think about how to
convey your message in a way that the
receiver would welcome it.
Whether positive or negative, feedback
should meet the following criteria:
· Specific and concise - get to the point
quickly
· Timely - give feedback soon after the
action that triggered it
· Focused on facts and results - focus on
'what happened' not 'who did it'
· Positive focus - keep the discussion
about useful information for both parties
Useful feedback is the fuel for building and
maintaining great performance in an
organization. It can help your organization
run smoothly or it can make it knock around
like a badly tuned engine. What does your
engine sound like?
Vicki
Anderson
Anderson
Resources
Phone/Fax:
918-252-1027
www.andersonresources.net
Vicki
Anderson works with leaders who want to
improve their competence and confidence in
their ability to help others achieve peak
performance.
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