Feedback. You got this
Some of the most effective leaders I’ve worked with are those who provide regular—often weekly— feedback to their team. The feedback conveys belief in the person—you’ve got this— and comes in two forms.
Affirmative Feedback
This affirms someone when you catch them doing it right or excelling in a specific area. While it serves as a reinforcer (strengthener) of those behaviours and attitudes you want to see repeated, it causes a person to feel good about themselves and the role they perform. This in turn increases engagement levels and promotes higher quality work.
Constructive Feedback
The goal of constructive feedback is to help someone improve by offering specific, corrective, actionable insights and future pathways of growth, while acknowledging their strengths. It’s intended to support development and performance without diminishing the recipient's confidence or value. And therein lies the challenge.
The underlying foundation for constructive feedback to be fully embraced, is value.1 That is, the team member feels highly valued by their manager and knows they have their best interests at heart. And it’s from this value-foundation that they are more likely to receive direction and correction. Delivered in the right way, it conveys more of a shaping and polishing rather than leaving the employee feeling: Geez I’m an idiot, I’m hopeless; (or thinking that about their boss).
And not only do people need constructive feedback, but they also seem to want it.
In one study called: Your Employees Want the Negative Feedback You Hate to Give2, researchers found from 899 employee interviews, that 57% preferred constructive feedback with 43% preferring affirmative feedback. When asked what would have the greatest impact on their careers, 72% believed their performance would be enhanced if their managers offered constructive feedback.
Whether affirmative or constructive—and both have their place at different times—leaving people with a personal sense of I’ve got this, goes a long way to building high-performing individuals and teams.
Ray
I always value other perspectives and insights as it makes me think through topics from different angles. Feel free to add your comments here, and if you found this post helpful, I’d love to know by your click on the heart.
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See my post from last week: Trust. The highest form of human motivation
https://hbr.org/2014/01/your-employees-want-the-negative-feedback-you-hate-to-give
Thank You for this article.
Very on point to me.
I work 19 hrs in Office 19 hrs remote.
I have minimal contact with My Manager & truly appreciate his opinions.
I often doubt my abilities & contribution. When away from the office alone.
Any feedback from My Manager is very welcome.
Is there any suggestion on how to ask for more?
Yes, very true. However, some might not be equally ready for constructive feedback! We are not all the same. And we do change. I recall timees in my earlier life when constructive feedback, given to me by well-meaning colleagues felt like a wound! The key seems to be sowing the seed without dumping too much manure. How can we know? Three keys: Listen Listen Listen.