Simple techniques to help managers keep their staff loyalty

A recent report by the CIPD says research is showing that more than 33% of all workers plan to leave their current jobs once the recession is over and the job market picks up. They suggest on average the costs of replacing and training a new recruit are: £6,125 or around $9000,

This rises to £9000 or around $13,250 for senior managers.

Whew! Don’t know about you, but as a practising manager myself, as well as a trainer and coach for other managers, losing even one good member of staff represents not just forking out a considerable sum of money to advertise, recruit and train any new staff, but a considerable amount of time and hassle for me, whilst I try to keep my eyes on the ball in terms of sales and customer satisfaction.

OK, so the recession may have represented an opportunity for you to re-shape the look of your team. Maybe you’ve had the unpleasant job of making some staff redundant, or having to discuss moving them to a different role, which they may, or may not be excited about.

One thing’s for sure: the staff who are left will feel a bit “jittery”.  How they feel may well be dependent on how you’ve managed any cuts, and on your relationship with your staff, but it’s highly likely loyalty is probably the last word on their minds, and their level of engagement may have plummeted, with the inevitable dip in performance too.

So how do you, as a manager, keep your team “on-side”, minimise “jitters”, and save yourself the hassle and high costs of losing talented people? Is it possible to have your top performers recognise they are still in the best place and not be tempted by competitor offers?

Whilst you can’t get it right all the time – I believe you can get it right more of the time. Here are three key actions you can take right now, which will have a massive impact on staff morale, motivation and engagement, and which will reduce the likelihood they will leave you first chance they get.

1. Get your staff talking!
   What do I mean by this? One of the most destructive things for staff motivation and engagement is negative gossip and attitudes. And you can be sure, if you’ve been cutting back lately, if you’ve been changing team structures, if you’ve been making some people redundant, then you’ll have some incredibly fertile ground for negative gossip, negative attitudes and negative behaviours.

   The trouble is, in most cases, it’s done behind your back – in the canteen; over the water-cooler, or in the pub after work.

   Negative talk breeds negative thinking. It’s contagious. It spreads. Even staff who you really value, who are solid performers and who you’d hate to lose, start to feel the negativity and lose some of their “sparkle” for the job.

   You need to channel this energy into something more positive – but how?

   You need to give people an opportunity to talk about their concerns and their opinions about what it’s like to work with you out in the open – but in a way which is non-threatening, and constructive.

   One simple, quick and non-threatening way to do this is through a team survey – but I don’t mean the complicated surveys some organisations embark upon, where it takes months to set up, weeks to get people to fill in, and more months to get the results!

   I mean a “quick and dirty” survey – something you can implement and have results back for within weeks, if not days. Something which just gives you a starting point for a team meeting where you can get people talking. (see below for help choosing a survey)

2. Set up a team meeting to discuss the results of your survey!
   Make it a priority to pull your team together within 2-4 weeks of the survey results coming in. Set aside at least 90 minutes. If you can, see if you can engage a couple of your team to co-facilitate the meeting with you.Have two flip charts at the ready where you’ve captured the top-line results of:
   What we’re doing well                                                      What we’re concerned about

   Then say you know they completed the survey anonymously, but that you genuinely want to understand more about what people feel about their work, so you’d like someone to start the ball rolling. Ask someone to say if they gave a high score and why. Then ask for people to speak out if they gave any low scores and why.

   I guarantee someone will speak up! And once they do, others will follow. Allow time. Reassure your staff this is not about judging; nor about recording any of this formally. This is about understanding that times have been hard recently, and wanting to genuinely look at how we can make things better.
   Keep your language to “we”, not “I”. And be prepared to hear stuff which might be critical of you. (How can you give constructive feedback to others if you won’t take any yourself?)

   Have your co-facilitators capture some of the main points on blank flip charts.

   Tip: Sometimes, once people do start to open up, this could be in danger of becoming a long-winded moaning session! Be clear at the outset you want all the moans out – but you’re allowing a set amount of time – say 20 minutes. Don’t allow people to go on about a specific thing – just encourage them to put the “moan” into one sentence – so you can capture it on the flip chart! This helps keep focus and brevity!

3. 3. Agree an action plan!
   Now for the most important part. Explain the objective is to make things better for people at work.
   Ask them to vote for the issues they feel need addressing first, from the “concerns” flip sheet. Take no more than two “concerns”. Explain if you’re going to make any real progress, it’s no good biting off more than you can chew, and you’ll come back to the other stuff later.

   Then, if you’ve a biggish team, of say 6 or more, split them into groups of between 3 and 5. Give each group a “concern” – and ask them to come up with at least 5 actions which might help reduce this “concern”. Allow at least 30 minutes for this – let them go for a coffee; break out into other areas and have some nice buns/fruit or other “goodies” available to “feed” their imaginations!

   When time’s up, bring them back together, share the ideas and agree at least one or two actions you will take forward.

   Encourage both a team action and individual actions. Have each team member write down one thing they will do differently to help improve that “concern” – and have them share that action with a colleague who will hold  them accountable!

   Finally, thank them for their honesty and their participation – and agree how you will measure improvements, and when you will meet again.  

I promise you, this simple strategy will take up little time but can totally re-energise team morale and employee satisfaction – and will help you build strong working relationships and better staff loyalty.

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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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9 reasons most staff engagement surveys don’t work – and some tips to get them right!

Have you ever used a staff survey to gauge what your people feel about where they work?

Do you have low morale, or people issues which you suspect are holding back performance and ultimately, your results?

Those of you who have known me a while, and certainly for those of you who have attended my workshops on how to effectively motivate and engage your staff, you’ll know I believe there are some simple rules and simple techniques that are absolutely critical to more effectively motivating and engaging our staff.  One fundamental principle of motivation is what I call, “knowing which buttons to press”. We need to understand that what drives and motivates us isn’t what drives and motivates someone else – and then we need to  understand just what it is which is motivating someone, so we can plan how to more effectively motivate them in future.

Here’s a simple example: you were a child once, right?

Did you know “which buttons to press” to get what you wanted from Mum?

And did you know you had to press a different set of buttons to get what you wanted from Dad, or Grandma?

Of course you did!! You did it unconsciously!

Yet, as we grow up, we seem to lose that ability – or start to somehow believe that other people, including  our staff can be motivated by pressing the same buttons that motivate you!

Wrong!

It’s also a fallacy to assume that the way you see the culture of your workplace, is the way your staff see it. They usually don’t!

If you, as a manager, are ever to effectively tap into the very best performance of your staff and the whole team, you need to get to know how each individual on your team “ticks” – and what they feel about their work.

Let’s face it – if you don’t – how can you ever begin to “press the right buttons” so your staff give more of their best – willingly and with commitment?

STAFF SURVEYS CAN HELP YOU IDENTIFY STAFF MOTIVATIONS AND FEELINGS ABOUT THEIR WORK

For me, staff surveys are a great way of getting staff to open up and tell you about how they see things – about what motivates and de-motivates them – and about what they feel would make their workplace not only  a better place to be, but somewhere they genuinely want to give of their best, more of the time.

I figure that if I try to understand what their needs and feelings are, and make a genuine effort to see how, together, we can make things better for everyone on the team, my staff are more likely to feel happier and I know happier staff perform better! Seems like a win-win all round for me!

But – as with most things – there’s the good, the bad – and the downright ugly! Here are some of my key tips to getting a staff survey right, and the benefits for you if you do!

9 COMMON WAYS STAFF SURVEYS GO WRONG

1. They grow into unwieldy, time-consuming and complex “monsters” - often totally led and followed up by management, with staff feeling it’s something done to them, instead of with them. Staff own no part of the process – and even if specific issues are identified as requiring some action, they expect management to sort it -  not them!Now I may be “boss” – but I’m all for commitment to make things better on both sides! This isn’t  about my staff pointing the finger and saying to me, “What are you going to do to make things better?”This is about us sitting down and saying: “What can we do to make things better?”
2. Many staff surveys I’ve seen require a complicated setup and access process. For those of you with some experience of staff surveys, I’m sure this will resonate with you!
3. 3. Once set up, it takes ages, (and often consultancy hours for which you are paying!), to encourage all staff to take part.
   Despite your cajoling and encouragement, you’re lucky to achieve more than 60% of staff completing the survey.

4. You have to wait to get the results. This is a biggie! The number of managers I’ve spoken with who have said it has taken months to get the results back, by which time, often many of the staff who completed the surveys have moved on – either leaving the company or the team. Whilst you can still get a feel for some general issues which might be affecting performance, your ability to make any follow up something genuinely targeted and useful, and which engages staff, is almost impossible.
5. The results come back in the form of some long, rather complex report.
   More time is taken with management trying to make sense of it, and come up with an action plan. Everyone, including management, are now feeling overwhelmed with information and a sense of yet more stuff “to do ” if they want to follow it up. Often, follow up falls on the shoulders of a few souls in HR or Learning & Development who struggle to plan a useful programme of improvement.
6. Follow up is so late it becomes ineffective.
   Do I really need to say more?
7. Staff are cynical.
   They see it as another, management led initiative, which disappears into a black hole, and which doesn’t seem to change anything. I’ve heard a few staff in my time say they feel staff surveys are a waste of time, because while they are asked for their opinion, nothing changes. It’s perceived as a “tick-box” exercise.
8. They are expensive to run. You find yourself paying not only for the survey, but the “complex report” from the consultancy, and maybe even further high fees for them to help you implement the follow up.
9. Because the survey is seen as management led, staff don’t really get involved in the plans for improvement.

That doesn’t mean surveys are a bad thing!

I believe when a manager solicits feedback they send an implicit message to their staff which says – “I care what you think – I want to know”, which in turn sets an example and allows staff to feel more comfortable to solicit and receive feedback too. I genuinely believe staff surveys are a great tool, used properly.

What you want is something where all staff take part, where results come back quickly, and where you can plan a simple follow up process, with actions which everyone gets involved with to make things better.

Staff surveys - 5 tips for success

1. Find a survey which is meaningful, but quick and easy to administer – and which gives you a better chance of getting 100% response rate.
2. Don’t allow HR to take over!
   My apologies to HR – but if you really want this process to be something which makes a meaningful difference, where individual teams really engage with the process you MUST have individual managers’ buy in to driving the process.
   Whilst senior management oversee everything, (and clearly they are interested to understand if there might be common patterns or problems coming up across teams)  – it’s the team managers who really need to champion it. It’s through their example, their enthusiasm and their commitment to fostering more open relationships with their staff that I believe leads to a place where, whenever anyone is stopped at random on the corridor of their work and is asked: “What’s it like to work here?” the response is: “Great! This is a great place to work!”
3. Set deadlines to get all feedback in and to meet up for the first follow-up session.
   I know myself – running my own business – there’s nothing quite like making a public commitment to doing something, to make you really take action and get things done!

   Set a timeline (perhaps agreed with your staff? That way they’re in from the beginning!) when you want all surveys completed – and at the same time, set a date and time when you’re going to meet up to discuss the findings and talk about what you do next.  That way, you send a strong message to your staff that this is NOT a tick-box exercise – and that you ARE going to follow it up – and that you EXPECT them to get involved!

4. Set the first follow up within a month of completing the survey.
   Don’t wait – don’t drag your heels. Add it into the agenda for your next team meeting – do whatever you need to – but follow up as soon as you can so your staff know you mean business, and that you really do want to work with them to see how you can make things better!

5. Get your staff involved in the solutions
   As I said earlier – this is NOT an exercise in blame. This is NOT an exercise where your staff point the finger and expect you to do something! This is about everyone looking at what the survey tells you – and  taking responsibility for coming up with solutions about how to make things better – what your priorities are – and most importantly, who is going to do what!

Follow these 5 tips, and not only will you get your staff involved and less cynical about staff surveys, you’ll see a difference in what the whole exercise was really for in the first place – better staff motivation, engagement, commitment and 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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Employee Motivation

Hello! Shona Garner here.

If your answer is less than 7 or 8, chances are, not only does it mean you’re probably struggling to meet targets, it often means more hassle, more tension and apathy and ultimately, poor performance from your staff.

And, like it or not, poor performance often reflects on you. If you’ve got your eye on the career ladder, developing a good reputation as a brilliant people manager is going to be a critical skill you’ll need to demonstrate, so it’s worth taking time out to hone those skills.

What you really want is:

• Staff with a “can-do” attitude, instead of staff who moan or undermine what you’re trying to achieve.
• A team where there’s little or no tension or gossip, and people get on well with each other.
• Fewer underperformance problems.
• Loyal, committed staff.
• Better staff attendance.
• Better results!

Where do you look for support or answers? How do you build your confidence to be able to deal with the tricky situations, and yet still manage to keep everyone on your team “on-side”?

• There are literally hundreds of management books out there; but how do you know which one would help you most, and will you actually have time to read it all?
• Many books are big on theory, but short on practical advice which you can see yourself actually implementing.
• You’re too busy for a formal training course.
• Budget is tight.
• Sometimes it’s difficult to admit you could do with some help: after all, you’re the boss! Everyone seems to assume you know what to do!

Yet literally hundreds of managers we work with tell us they are thrust into management with little or no training or support, and just expected to deal with the dozens of people challenges which come their way every single day.

Challenges such as when you’re suddenly faced with a team ready to implode because of conflict:

• you’re facing having a tricky talk with someone about their poor performance;
• you’re going to have to tell some people they are being made redundant
• you’re having to find a way to manage someone you used to work alongside.

All these (and dozens more) are situations about which any manager can feel a little nervous.

We’ve found there are certain situations many managers tell us they struggle with, which can severely affect staff motivation and morale, and which are tricky, sometimes uncomfortable situations for you to handle.

The four top challenges you told us you face and which threaten the motivation and engagement of your staff are:

• Basic motivation techniques: You asked us for some simple tips which would have a positive, and, more importantly, a lasting impact on employee motivation .
• Motivating Staff through Change: You wanted to know how you can keep staff motivated when major changes occur which threaten their sense of security.
• Team conflict: you have staff who don’t get on with each other, or with you, and it’s undermining workplace morale.
• Underperformance: You asked us how to deal with underperformance effectively, without de-motivating someone or damaging the relationship they have with you.

In these easy to read guides you won’t find any long, complicated theories or jargon: just a number of simple, easy to apply techniques you could start straight away, to help you more effectively motivate and inspire your staff.

With our 7 years experience, working with hundreds of managers, (and I’m still a practising manager), we know we can help you.

We know the theory – and there’s no doubt in our mind, if you’re dealing with people, it makes sense to have some understanding of basic human psychology and behaviour. But at the end of the day, what really matters, what you need most of all, are some proven strategies which will help you gain what most every manager we meet wants most  – motivated, committed staff; great team results and the confidence to be able to deal with any people situation.

This is not about holding “rah-rah” team building days. There is a time and a place for those, for sure – but at the end of the day, we believe some fun team bonding games on a single day can never have the impact of some of the small, but significant actions we’ll share with you in these guides, which, done consistently, will produce significant and lasting shifts in the culture and performance of your team.

We believe it’s the small things, done regularly, which take up little of your time, and actually, very little effort on your part, that can make massive differences to the way a team works together, and the results they get.

This is just about some small changes to what you do in the time you have.

We’ve taken some of the key messages and techniques we teach on our highly popular “Outstanding Manager” training programme, and pulled them into one, easy to read guide, designed to give you enough, practical ideas so you can see some positive results in your team within weeks.

Ways to motivate your team that will improve productivity and performance

Learn:

• The top four ways you can motivate any team – with little or no budget.
• Six magic questions you can use with your staff over and over again which will help you build good relationships and get them more involved and engaged.
• Why 15 minutes a month is all you need to help strengthen good relationships with your staff.
• Why allowing “intelligent risk-taking” and effective delegation can foster greater staff involvement - and much more.

How to Motivate your Staff through Change

Why do people often resist or fear change? In this chapter we’ll show you:

• Why an understanding of the emotional reactions to change can help you more effectively support staff and minimise their concerns or objections.
• Some simple, but effective communication tips, such as how to communicate; how often to communicate and why creating “easy wins” can help you build momentum.
• How to keep people “on-side” through change.
• 5 easily recognisable and typical responses to change you’ll be able to recognise in your staff -  and how to plan a strategy to handle these different “types”.

Managing Underperformance without De-motivating Staff

Underperformance is always a sensitive and tricky issue to handle for managers and if mishandled, can lead to de-motivated staff. In this chapter you’ll learn:

• Why you must never ignore underperformance.
• The single biggest mistake you may be inadvertently making, which could actually be contributing to the underperformance.
• How a “halo” or “horns” mindset could sabotage your efforts to improve performance.
• Why being too “nice” can be your downfall.

Ways to Handle Conflict which threatens to de-stabilise your team

Conflict in any team causes problems; it takes up time you don’t have; it makes the atmosphere unpleasant and it adversely affects staff motivation and performance. In this guide we share:

• The mistakes which can lead to “relationship meltdowns”  - how to recognise and avoid them!
• Simple tactics to help you deal with really tense situations and help you avoid turning into an “exocet missile”!
• 3 typical reactions to conflict which can inadvertently make the situation worse for you. If you, or any of your staff have a tendency to react like this, it could be making the situation worse.
• Simple techniques to handle conflict in the short term, and some longer term strategies so you can build the kind of workplace where conflict is rare, and when it does arise, people have strategies to effectively turn it into something positive.

Each chapter will take you no more than 20 minutes to read – yet will give you some quick, easy to

implement strategies to help you more effectively build the kind of team that will

improve your career prospects and get you noticed for all the right reasons.

Yes, you could buy some books on these topics – there are plenty out there! You could wade through an internet search to find some answers to your pressing challenges. But, as a busy manager myself, I know how hard it is to find the time to do this. You’ve a hundred and one other things you need to be doing, and waiting for a book to arrive which you may never have time to read is not going to help you now.

Finding what you want in the tons of material out there takes time: finding the key nuggets you really need which will help you right now, when you need it most is the hard part!

You could invest in management training: (Cost between $950- $1750 or more)

A typical day’s training on any of these subjects could range between $200 and $450 per day. Our complete, 5 day programme costs $1750, and requires a time commitment you may not have. Whilst we believe there is a real value in training, and indeed, all of the content in this guide is taken directly from our highly successful Outstanding Manager programme, if you have a pressing motivation problem right now, this solution will not help you in the short term.

You could search the internet or buy a book (Cost at least $50 plus your searching time.)

I know how time-consuming and confusing this can sometimes be because I’ve done it! As part of our commitment to supporting managers in the best way we can, we continually scour the internet, the new studies and the new publications to see if we can pick up any additional tips or techniques to help you – and believe me, it saps your time, and knowing what is helpful and what is not is a bit of a lottery. And your average management book can range from $15 to $100 – and is often full of long-winded jargon or theory which might be interesting, but doesn’t necessarily help you in a practical way.

For just $39 you have 40 simple, proven and effective strategies to help you deal with the most common motivation sappers in any team.

If these techniques save you even one day of time in lost productivity through conflict, poor working relationships or poor motivation you’ve seen a return on your investment.

For a limited period - as an additional bonus!

As an additional, but limited time bonus, we’ll also include the following two useful, simple, and quick activities you could initiate with your team.

TEAM “HEALTHCHECK”  ( $17 value)

A simple, brief team survey to help you gain some feedback about the state of your team.

With just 15 questions, you could gauge the “health” of your team,

and set some team  goals which will really improve staff motivation and engagement.

We also give you some suggestions to help you implement and follow up!

TEAM MOTIVATION ACTIVITY  ($17 value)

Sometimes the hardest part for managers is knowing how best to find out what motivates each individual in their team and how to get their staff talking to one another in a constructive way. How can you do this without it appearing a stilted, or odd conversation?

We give you a simple, but fun activity you could run in less than an hour, in a team meeting,which will help you, and your team, get to know a little more about each other’s motivators and how to use that knowledge to help you better communicate with each other! I’ve never seen this activity fail yet!

We even offer you a guarantee.

Our whole focus is on supporting managers with simple, jargon – free and useful techniques to help them become great managers. We are absolutely confident that, even if you implemented just one or two of these techniques consistently over the next few weeks you would transform the working relationships in your team, and improve staff motivation, commitment and morale.If you disagree, then contact us and we’ll refund your payment in full – no quibbles. We can’t say fairer than that. And of course, you get to keep the guides with our compliments.

Simply click the link below, we’ll take you through our secure payment process, and in seconds you will have some powerful strategies to help you develop even better results through your people.

We wish you every success in your management role! Do let us know how you get on.

Warmest regards,

Shona

PS:  Remember! If you consistently apply some of the simple, small, but significant techniques we share with you through these guides, not only will you manage a team which is a great example to others, but your own credibility as a manager will rise in the process.

For any manager who is serious about their career in management!

PPS:  How much is it costing you, in time, and money, (and emotional hassle), with underperforming, de-motivated or unhappy staff? Did you know the average manager wastes 25% of their average day dealing with conflict? Or that a formal grievance can eat up 9 days of time? And how much is that eating at your bottom line?

People problems, if not resolved, don’t go away – they get worse. Implementing just some of the simple techniques you learn in these guides can literally turn round a poorly performing individual or team and transform your results.

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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