Managing Underperformance & Appraising Your Staff

Here are some useful tips to help you appraise your staff and manage any under performance! Follow these simple tips and find out just how easy it is to effectively manage your staff! Praise and positive reinforcement go a long way when it comes to motivating an under performing staff. Read more

4 Common Mistakes Managers Make When it Comes to Giving Feedback

What do you associate with the words “giving feedback”? You wouldn’t be on your own if the first thoughts you had were things like: criticism; feeling uncomfortable; awkwardness and tricky conversations.

Is there also a link in your mind between giving feedback and underperformance in the workplace?

Last month’s article gave you a structure for giving both positive and negative feedback to an individual or team.

However, you can follow any model you like for giving feedback (and there are a few out there!) – but if you and everyone in your staff think that feedback is all about criticism and negative stuff, then  no model or  training on how to give it is going to help you build a motivated team.

What do you really want? You want a team where:

1. Your staff actively solicit and expect feedback about their performance.
2. Your staff take ownership of, and responsibility for their performance and what they do to improve it.
3. The culture is one which demonstrates on a daily basis the importance and value of feedback.

As with all things – knowing what we want, and knowing how to get there are often two different things! This article shares with you what I believe are the 4 biggest mistakes you can make as a manager, if you want to achieve those three goals above – and offers some suggestions for how, with just some minor tweaks to the way you do things, you could not only achieve those goals, but transform the performance of your team in the process.

The 4 biggest mistakes you can make when you’re trying to build a great feedback culture

Mistake number 1: Reserve your feedback for when someone is underperforming.

For many managers, giving feedback is associated with having to tell someone they are not performing as you would like. For many cultures, giving positive feedback (praise) is almost something to be rationed.

Have you ever heard a manager say: “I shouldn’t have to praise somebody for just doing their job.
That’s what they’re paid for”?

However, is this manager at risk of ignoring good, solid, reliable work; of assuming the only motivator for people is money and they take the view praise or recognition is reserved only for those who do more than their job. But I like this quote from one of the world’s top writers and thinkers about bringing the best out in people; Aubrey Daniels, who says:

“If people are not told they are appreciated, they will assume the opposite.”

How many wives have left their husbands after 25 years of marriage with the words, “you never appreciated me. You took me for granted”?

How many workers do you think have left their roles for the same reasons?

People NEED feedback – and they need feedback which is positive as well as negative. Recognise that your good, solid workers, day in, day out, leave you free to get on with other things, because you can trust them to perform consistently. They form a backbone which brings strength to your team, and to your overall results. Lose them; disenchant them, and you risk fragmenting the team and damaging working relationships.

Mistake number 2: Give more negative feedback than positive.

What’s the ratio of praise to criticism in your team?

Not only do we need to build cultures which give both positive and negative feedback, we need to ensure we give more of the good stuff, than the negative.

Why?

Well – have you ever been at the receiving end of an overly critical teacher, lecturer, parent, partner, friend or boss? How did that make you feel?

My guess is you began to dislike the critic; you “tuned out” to the criticism, because you heard it so often; you felt upset, frustrated, or annoyed; you began to avoid the critic; you wouldn’t hear a valid criticism any longer, and at its worst, you may have found yourself losing self confidence and self-esteem.

Study after study shows the ratio of positive to negative feedback should be at least 5:1 in favour of positive.

Now before you all start raising your hands in the air saying that’s ridiculous, bear with me and check out the next big mistake! Meanwhile, remember this:

“If you give meaningful, sincere and positive feedback often enough,
then constructive criticism is much easier to hear”.

Mistake number 3:  Make a big deal of giving feedback.

So you want to give feedback. Chances are, the most usual times you give it, are at appraisal times; when something’s going wrong and someone is underperforming, or giving praise through big “rah-rah” events – such as “employee of the month” or in public meetings with great ceremony. But actually,

“The consequences that cause people to do their best every day, occur every day.”

Sure – sometimes ceremonies or appraisals are appropriate times for feedback – but they’re not the engine room which will drive motivation and great feedback cultures.

Feedback is NOT about making a big deal of something. It’s about quiet, consistent observation of individual performance, and feeding back what you see in the moment, or as near to it as possible.

Research into the most effective leaders, managers and supervisors shows they feedback regularly while people are actually performing. To be able to do this, they spend more time in the work area.

Guess where the ineffective managers spend their time? Absolutely! In their offices.

Mistake number 4: Believe feedback is a one-way street.

A big one this!

Are you perfect? Doubt it! But a culture where feedback is accepted, trusted and valued, has to ensure it applies to everyone. Mix this mistake with only ever giving negative feedback and it’s likely you’ll face a double whammy of resentment and anger from your staff – and almost certainly a team of high staff turnover.

And actually, it’s my belief that this is definitely one area where it starts at the top
– with you and how you receive feedback.

Do you allow feedback upwards? (If you’ve ever had a boss who didn’t want feedback then you’ll know how frustrating this sometimes feels!)  Do you actively solicit feedback about your managing?

If you’d love a team where people actually ask for feedback, take more individual responsibility for their performance and associate feedback with helpful emotions rather than unhelpful, then it starts by setting the example of how you want things to be.  Start small – try asking how you can be a more effective support to a member of staff – and see what they come up with. Ask them what they think you do well, and what you might perhaps do more of, or less of. If you’re planning a particular strategy, wherever possible, ask your staff for feedback on your plans; incorporate some of their ideas if possible, and check in at appropriate milestones to see if they have any further feedback.

It will take patience and persistence, particularly in a team where they have always had the controlling, critical boss, but once they see you genuinely value and expect feedback, they’ll become more comfortable with the whole process, and ultimately, more likely to mirror those behaviours and attitudes, for the good of the team, and your performance!

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For more information to help you with the people side of management,
including how to improve employee motivation and get the best out of your team, take a look at these great resources:

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How do I give constructive feedback without de-motivating someone?

How do I give constructive feedback without de-motivating someone?

I get a number of common questions asked of me as I work with managers in all sorts of businesses, and one of the most frequent questions I get asked is: “How do I criticise someone’s performance without de-motivating them or harming the relationship I have with them?”

Whether you have been managing for 6 days, 6 months or 16 years this may still be something you shy away from, feel uncomfortable about, or hate doing. In the category of “tricky conversations” this is, undoubtedly, in the top ten!

And yet, in terms of performance management, and striving for excellence, it is probably the single most important thing you need to do. If it is so critical – it follows we need to be skilled at doing it!

There is a common saying in the world of sport which I’m sure you’ve heard: “Feedback is the breakfast of champions”.

Any sportsman or woman serious about doing well in their chosen field learns from the outset, that they need regular and open feedback if they are to improve their performance. As a result, there are three key things that occur which, I believe, set the scene for more effective performance management:

1. The individual actively solicits and expects feedback about their performance.
2. The individual takes ownership of, and responsibility for their performance and what they do to improve it.
3. 3. The culture is one which demonstrates on a daily basis the importance and value of feedback, which values and seeks talent, and which proactively supports and encourages every individual to maximise their talent.

If you’ve attended my workshops or followed my articles for any time, you’ll know how important I believe open and honest feedback is in any organisation. You will have heard me talk of the power of praise, (perhaps the best feedback ever!) and the concept of building a culture where people feel supported, encouraged, and valued.

Before I say anything more, let me say this one thing about culture, because, for me, this is absolutely vital to successful performance management:

You can learn some key skills about giving and receiving feedback, but if your culture is one built on mistrust, on discomfort about receiving feedback and on focusing more on negative, than positive feedback, you have an uphill struggle on your hands, and you will never quite reach the excellence in performance you are seeking.

A key part of a dynamic, and truly learning culture is one where people at all levels not only feel comfortable giving and receiving feedback, they actively solicit it. They are people on a mission; they want to do well, and they want to improve.

GIVING FEEDBACK IS OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH UNCOMFORTABLE FEELINGS

The problem is, in many organisations today, often the only time we give feedback is when something is not going well.

We cannot therefore, blame our people for coming to associate feedback with uncomfortable feelings. As the manager, or individual who is giving the feedback, you too will associate feedback more with a negative experience than a positive one. So there you have it – two people, coming to a situation neither of them likes; both of them feel uncomfortable about and probably wanting it over as quickly as possible!

Hardly helpful!

HOW GOOD ARE WE AT GIVING POSITIVE FEEDBACK?

We’re sometimes not very good at giving positive feedback either. A “well-done,”  or “good work”, might seem to be praise to you, but giving feedback of any sort requires some thought, some clarity, and, most of all, some sincerity and desire to genuinely support another individual to improve their performance.

OUTSTANDING MANAGERS BUILD “FEEDBACK CULTURES”

Outstanding managers build cultures where their people relish and actively seek feedback, and where feedback is used to strengthen relationships and develop excellent performance. In next month’s article I’ll give you some tips on how you can start to build such a culture, but for now, let’s concentrate on how to give feedback  in the most effective, and motivating  way – whether it’s positive or negative.

5 STEPS TO GIVING EFFECTIVE FEEDBACK

Positive feedback

Negative feedback

Give the context – be specific about what you’re going to talk about. Explain specifically what went well. Try to raise one or two very specific things which made this so good. Explain the impact it had This is a critical part of the process. You are making it clear what the benefits are to you, the team, the wider organisation. Focus on their identity and skills You are building a sense of self-esteem and self-confidence here by linking what they are doing with their sense of who they are. Congratulate, reinforce – allow room for a response And a simple, but genuine “thank you” can leave someone feeling like the cat who got the cream!

Give the context – what are you going to talk about? Explain specifically and objectively what went wrong . Stick to the facts. Avoid emotional language. Explain the impact it had Often, a key learning can be through a greater understanding of how our actions might be negatively affecting others. This is a crucial step. Reinforce their identity and skills Whilst this specific issue is about underperformance, remind them of the things you do value and which are great. Seek solutions. Avoid telling someone what you think they should do next. Instead discuss possible actions for future improvements and encourage them to suggest an action plan.

What you may well notice in this model is how similar the framework is, whether you’re giving positive or negative feedback.

Leave out any one of those steps, and you risk reducing the effectiveness and the power of your communication.

If you need to give feedback with one of your staff  in the next few days, plan your approach and what you want to say around those 5 steps; give some thought to how they might be feeling,  how they might react and consider when and how you approach them for best impact. At first, you’ll need to practise; you might want to make some notes and consider the language you use – but I promise you, the more you do this, the easier it gets!

And if you get into the habit of using the model for praise on a regular basis, you and your staff might even start to feel a little more comfortable about the whole  issue of feedback! We’ll discuss how you can build a great feedback culture next month.

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For more information to help you with the people side of management,
including how to improve employee motivation and get the best out of your team, take a look at these great resources:

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Motivational Workplace: Why an MD Missed a Trick to Motivate His People

Creating a Motivational Workplace is Not All About Financial Incentives

A participant at one of my workshops, “How to be an Outstanding Manager”, recently told me this story.

He was a senior finance manager (will keep the organisation confidential), tasked with making savings of £15000 in his department. This was achieved, largely through the creativity and work of two particular individuals.

A few weeks later, the MD was visiting the department on a “flying visit”. The finance manager mentioned these two, and suggested he just spare a couple of minutes in his schedule to personally thank them for their work.

Read more