HOW TO MAKE FEEDBACK EFFECTIVE

1. Do it ASAP

When you see or hear something you do or don’t like you need to say something right away. If it’s Confirming feedback it’s not much use saying something months later: ‘I liked the way you handled that difficult customer a couple of months ago Dave.’ Dave is going to have a bit of a problem remembering that situation and the effect of the feedback is totally wasted.

It also makes sense to give Dave Productive feedback as soon as you see or hear something you don’t like. If you don’t do it right away then Dave will assume that you didn’t notice or that it doesn’t matter or that you don’t care. Again, it’s totally useless to bring up something you’re not happy about months later. It’s back to what we said earlier about ignoring the situation. If you say, ‘Dave, I didn’t like what you said to that angry customer a few weeks ago’, don’t be surprised if Dave hasn’t a clue what you’re talking about.

2. Do it in private

This seems like the most obvious thing to say but I still observe managers giving a member of their team some Productive feedback in front of other people, be they colleagues or customers. Of course, it’s usually more of a reprimand.

I think that some managers believe that if they’re seen and heard giving some feedback then it will have an effect on the other team members. You bet it will – it will totally demotivate them!

Some managers also believe that if it’s Confirming feedback, the good news, then it’s motivational to do it in front of colleagues. It could motivate the other people in the team to hear one of their colleagues receive some good news but it might also embarrass the person on the receiving end and have a negative effect.

So do it in private whenever you can.

However, this can often be difficult in today’s open-plan offices.

You obviously have the choice of finding a meeting room or an empty office somewhere. It would be best to do this if you were giving Productive feedback, the not-so-good news, as this is bound to take longer and be more involved that Confirming feedback.

If you were giving one of your team some Confirming feedback in an open-plan office, then it would be okay to pull up a chair and quietly say, ‘I liked the way you empathised with that customer Mary’ or ‘That report you produced on our maintenance schedule was well written and easy to understand Frank.’ The people round about don’t have to hear this and if you pick your moment well, they could be on the phone or busy with their own job.

If it’s really difficult to get some privacy then you could always send a note. E-mail if you wish but just think how motivating a hand-written note could be, complimenting one of your team on a job well done.

3. Check that it’s okay to speak

I mentioned this in Chapter 4 when I said, ‘Don’t sneak up on your people.’ Always check that it’s okay to speak. If one of your team has just finished speaking to a customer on the phone, they might have some admin things to do before they forget. If you interrupt then you risk being responsible for a customer not getting something they were promised. It’s only good manners to check before speaking and your people will respect you for it.

4. Announce your intentions

If your people are not used to receiving regular feedback, what do you think runs through their mind when you pull up a chair or ring them on the phone? Your right – they think it’s bad news, that they’ve done something wrong or there’s a problem.

It’s important to tell them up front what you want to speak about. You might say, ‘Jill, I’ve just read your last report and I’d like to give you some good news.’ You then go on to give them some Confirming feedback and remember to make it descriptive.

If it was some aspect of their behaviour that you weren’t happy about and you were about to give some Productive feedback, then you might say, ‘Joe, I couldn’t help overhearing your last telephone call to a customer. It’s something I’m concerned about but it’s not a big thing. On a scale of one to ten this would probably be a three.’ You would then go on to give Joe some Productive feedback.

Once your team members become used to receiving regular feedback, they will be much more open and responsive. They’ll know that you’re always the first person to tell them when they’ve done something well and what you like about their behaviour. They’ll also know that you’ll always tell them when you’re unhappy with something they’ve done.

5. Tell them how you feel about their behaviour

Your people work for the same organisation as you but it’s you they have to please. So make sure when you give feedback that it comes from you. That means not saying things like, ‘The Company doesn’t like their employees to speak to customers like that,’ or, ‘It’s not up to me but you’d better improve your performance or you’ll be in trouble.’

You need to use lots of ‘I’ messages. Get personally involved; say things like, ‘I liked the way you told that customer that you’d deal with their problem yourself’, or, ‘I’m unhappy with the way you told that customer that it wasn’t your responsibility’, or, ‘I believe there’s another way to do that job.’

It’s important to avoid ‘You’ messages such as, ‘You’re doing a great job.’ This can come across as patronising and it isn’t descriptive. Neither should you say, ‘You shouldn’t have done it that way.’

Using the ‘You’ word in Productive feedback could sound accusing and will possibly put your team member on the defensive. It then makes the job of giving feedback harder for you.

It’s also not a good idea to say things like, ‘It’s come to my attention,’ or, ‘Other people feel that you are not pulling your weight.’ If you’re the one giving the Productive feedback then you need to use ‘I’ messages.

6. Focus on one thing at a time

Don’t confuse your team member with a whole list of behaviours. If it’s Confirming feedback then you don’t want to be saying, ‘I like the way you handle customers and your reports are always done on time and it’s great that you’re achieving your target.’ You’re only diluting the whole feedback and it loses its impact.

If you are giving Productive feedback then you don’t want to confuse your team member with a whole catalogue of behaviours that you’re unhappy about. Sadly this seems to be the case with managers who don’t give feedback on poor behaviour immediately. They allow things to go on and on and then they eventually explode. It’s much better to deal with behaviour as and when it happens.

7. Be specific

When you are giving one of your team some feedback and coaching them, it’s important to focus on job-related behaviour and not on the personality of the individual.

I mentioned in Chapter 4that some managers don’t feel comfortable giving feedback, either the good or the not so good. That’s often because they subconsciously see it as a comment on the person’s character rather than the behaviour. If you feel a bit uncomfortable giving feedback, try to focus on the person’s behaviour on the job in terms of how they conducted a particular task. That’s what you’re giving feedback on, not them as a person. It becomes easier if you use ‘I’ messages and are very descriptive about what you’ve seen or heard. You could say something like, ‘I liked the way you tidied up the workshop after you finished that job – thank you Fred.’ You’re trying to get the balance between being human but also businesslike.

8. Include the customer and the organisation

Whenever appropriate, relate what your feedback is about to how the customer was affected. This of course could be an internal or an external customer. You could also relate it to how the organisation was affected, if relevant.

9. Get input

When giving Productive feedback, it’s important to get the team member’s input. You might say, ‘I’m unhappy that this is the third time this month that your report has been late Joanne. However, I’m willing to listen to what you have to say and discuss how we can resolve this situation.’

You need to listen to what Joanne has to say, then discuss and agree what’s going to happen in the future. You then need to set a date when you’ll check back with Joanne as to the progress she’s made.

It’s important that the team member understands that this isn’t just a whinge from you or that you’ll probably forget about it by tomorrow. This is something that needs to be resolved and it won’t go away.

You could say something like, ‘Okay Joanne, you’ve agreed that you’re going to get your reports in on time from now on; let’s check back this time next week and see how it’s going.’ You then need to put it in your diary and check back when you said you would.

It’s also important to check the team member understands what’s required and that they make a commitment to change. Let the feedback sink in and give them every opportunity to have their say.

Perhaps they might not be capable of making the changes that they’re agreeing to. Remember what we said in Chapter 2about not making people what they’re not. They may not have the skills and knowledge and you need to identify that.

There is no point in Joanne telling you that she’ll get her reports in on time if she doesn’t have a clue how to do that. This is where you need to do some coaching or take another course of action.

In Chapter 8we’ll concentrate on solving problems that arise with your team members.

10. Don’t leave them low

This is particularly important after giving Productive feedback. As I said earlier, this isn’t an attack on the person; it’s about job-related behaviour. A team member should come out of a Productive feedback session with their sense of self-worth intact.

After you’ve coached them and agreed what action they’re going to take, you might want to say, ‘Okay Joanne, thank you for your time, I’m going to get myself a cup of coffee, can I get you one?’, or, ‘I hope you enjoy your trip to the theatre tonight, it sounds like a great show.’

You’re getting the message across that ‘I’m not angry with you. I have nothing against you personally. I just need you to behave in a manner that meets the necessities of the job.’ (Of course, you’re not using these words!)

Forget the sandwich technique

Many managers have been told to use the ‘sandwich technique’ when giving Productive feedback and coaching their people. Let me give you an example: ‘Fred, I’m really pleased with how you’ve been progressing since you joined us and you’re doing a great job. However, you’re not dealing with enough customers and we’re missing our call targets. I’d like you to tighten up on this. Anyway, thanks for all you’ve done so far and keep up the good work.’

Have you ever said something along these lines? You probably needed Fred to increase the number of calls he made but you didn’t want to upset or demoralise him. The only problem is that Fred may not get the message. The importance of it may be seriously diluted. He may hear it as, ‘Fred, you’re doing a brilliant job, you just need to do a few more calls but it’s not that important.’ What happens then is that Fred continues to fail with his number of calls.

The ‘sandwich’ technique doesn’t work. It lets you off the hook and it’s mealy mouthed. Be direct with your people and they’ll respect you more for it. You’re also much more likely to get the change in behaviour you require.

If you’re unhappy with some aspect of a team member’s performance then you need to tell them so and coach them if required. The skill is in doing it in a way that is effective and doesn’t lower the morale of the individual. If you follow the ten points listed above then you’re much more likely to get the changes you need without lowering morale and without raising your level of stress.

Up as well as down

So far we’ve been looking at feedback and coaching for your team members. The reason we’re doing this is:

• 1To reinforce behaviour and motivate your people (Confirming feedback);
• 2To change behaviour that will stop you achieving your outcomes (Productive feedback).

Your goal is to give feedback that motivates or at least doesn’t demotivate your team. You also want to minimise your levels of stress.

However, there are other people who will affect your ability to achieve your outcomes and may have a negative effect on your levels of stress – your colleagues and your boss (particularly your boss).

As well as dealing with your team every day you also have to deal with people in other departments, often senior to you. I’m also pretty sure that your boss figures pretty much in your life. These people also need feedback, both Confirming and Productive.

Next time you’re dealing with a colleague in another department and they give you some good service, use the feedback rules above. Say something like, ‘I liked the way you sent that information within the time you promised – thank you for that Mary.’ I think you’ll find that it improves your chances of receiving similar service in the future.

And don’t be afraid to give your colleagues some Productive feedback if they’re not behaving as you’d like them to; again, use the rules above. I’m always hearing managers complain that their boss behaves in a way that gives them problems, stops them achieving outcomes and stresses them out. However, these managers fail to communicate their concerns to their boss.

There’s still a culture in many organisations that doesn’t allow the boss to be challenged. It’s a case of the boss tells me what to do and it’s my job to do what I’m told. It’s also the case that managers don’t want to say anything to their boss for fear of being perceived as negative or a whinger.

Why not try giving your boss some Confirming feedback? The occasional compliment or descriptive thank you will work wonders on your relationship. And if the boss is doing or saying something you’re not happy with, give her some Productive feedback using the rules above. If you follow these rules, then you’re much less likely to be seen as a whinger.