Football season has begun; imagine the coach waiting until the end of the season to provide feedback to the players. Students receive report cards on a regular basis (often quarterly). Why in the corporate world have we created this worthless "Annual Review"? The intent no doubt is to improve performance. In order to change behavior and have positive outcomes feedback must be provided on a consistent regular basis.
"Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them." John Maxwell
Effective feedback is one of the most crucial elements to help improve performance. People want to be heard and understood. Experience shows that problem solving without listening is almost always ineffective. Listening gets to the REAL issues. Effective listening builds trust.
Top performers want and need feedback -- they know this is how they improve. The goal of feedback is not to flatten someone's ego but rather to give them encouragement and to challenge them to improve.
Elements of Effective Feedback:
• Focus on performance, not personality
• Avoid: using always, never & worst
• Who, what & where are perfectly acceptable.
• Be supportive
• Use questions to give yourself leverage -- why sounds accusatory (avoid)
• Be specific
• Share information (not advice)
• Feedback should be well-timed, better when the receiver asks for guidance.
• Ensure clear communications
• Allow time for questions and follow-up
As a leader your ability to provide effective feedback and coach others will have a direct impact on the results you can produce. We are all being crushed by the time demands of today's marketplace, also the pressure of the "tyranny of the urgent', however, the development of our people is the most critical factor for success.
As an entrepreneur, coach and parent I have found the above guidelines very helpful and effective. Feedback when needed and when appropriate is result producing, why wait a year? What has your experience been with performance reviews?
"Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them." John Maxwell
Effective feedback is one of the most crucial elements to help improve performance. People want to be heard and understood. Experience shows that problem solving without listening is almost always ineffective. Listening gets to the REAL issues. Effective listening builds trust.
Top performers want and need feedback -- they know this is how they improve. The goal of feedback is not to flatten someone's ego but rather to give them encouragement and to challenge them to improve.
Elements of Effective Feedback:
• Focus on performance, not personality
• Avoid: using always, never & worst
• Who, what & where are perfectly acceptable.
• Be supportive
• Use questions to give yourself leverage -- why sounds accusatory (avoid)
• Be specific
• Share information (not advice)
• Feedback should be well-timed, better when the receiver asks for guidance.
• Ensure clear communications
• Allow time for questions and follow-up
As a leader your ability to provide effective feedback and coach others will have a direct impact on the results you can produce. We are all being crushed by the time demands of today's marketplace, also the pressure of the "tyranny of the urgent', however, the development of our people is the most critical factor for success.
As an entrepreneur, coach and parent I have found the above guidelines very helpful and effective. Feedback when needed and when appropriate is result producing, why wait a year? What has your experience been with performance reviews?
No comments:
Post a Comment