3 Steps to Use the Pygmalion Effect for Performance
Employee productivity depends on effective performance management. The best managers use a combination of strategies to draw upon the full potential of their team and get consistent top-performing results. How do they do this? One powerful tool great leaders use to optimize performance is motivation. The Pygmalion effect explains how and why setting high expectations for employees yields excellent results. Here’s how to use the Pygmalion effect to optimize performance among your employees in 3 steps.
What is the Pygmalion effect?
The principle is simple. People tend to perform to our expectations, like a self-fulfilling prophecy. When we have high expectations, they perform better. When we have low expectations of people, they often perform below their capability.
1. Define Your Expectations
Take a moment and think about each member of your team. Think about each person and your performance expectations. Do you think this person is capable of learning new tasks easily? Can they complete more than the tasks they’re given now? Do you have low or high expectations for this person? How well do you think they’re aware of your expectations?
As you evaluate your expectations, also consider whether they’re realistic. Having high expectations of your employees only works when those expectations are achievable. If you set your expectations too high, the team may give up before they’ve even had a chance of success because they feel the target is impossible to reach.
In summary, when you set expectations, think positively, but don’t depend on the power of positive thinking.
2. Boost Communication and Positive Feedback
How do you communicate your expectations to your team? In life and work, communication determines so many outcomes. Remember that communication isn’t only the words you say. Sometimes, what’s unsaid speaks much more loudly. For example, when a manager is distant and uncommunicative, their team often assumes they are uninterested and have low expectations of their team.
The fix is simple. When you see your team doing a good job, notice it and tell them. Don’t assume your appreciation is apparent. Make sure you’ve communicated it to your team.
3. Lead with Self-Confidence and Develop Yourself
One of the critical factors that determines how successful employees are is the confidence level of their management. Do you believe you can coach and support your team? Do you believe in your abilities as their leader to achieve high performance? Are you using your full potential and investing in your own development?
If not, what’s holding you back? Identify the barriers and find ways to remove them. Do you need more support from a coach or mentor? Ask for the help you need. It might be as simple as that. Are you lacking in a particular area of expertise? Find a way to get the training that will help you round out your leadership abilities and boost your confidence in yourself.
Get the Best from Your Employees
Are you getting the most from your team? Learn key management strategies to boost your team’s productivity with tailored approaches for every individual’s skill and motivation level. Contact us today to set up a training session on Optimizing Performance or for information on our coaching services.
4 Reasons to Be Assertive at Work
Being assertive at work means voicing your opinions and ideas with confidence. Assertiveness helps us set boundaries and ask for what we need without being rude or combative. Communicating assertively increases job satisfaction and creates win-win situations with our coworkers. It also allows us to recognize our feelings and build honest relationships with teammates. Here are 4 more reasons to use assertive communication at work.
1. Keeps the Focus on Your Idea, Not You
One common problem we face at work is thinking we’ve communicated an idea more effectively than we actually have. For instance, if you share an idea in a meeting or email, and the tone is too soft, your comment may get lost in the conversation. Your teammates may not recognize that you’re asking for or proposing something.
On the other hand, if you pitch an idea too forcefully, the idea gets lost as people react more to your delivery than the idea itself.
Assertive communication uses clear, direct speech to explain an idea, allowing the idea to hold centerstage for discussion.
2. Gives You a Sense of Empowerment
Assertive communication provides you with tools to make your needs heard. It helps you zero in on what you will and will not do so that you can state that clearly. Setting boundaries offers you a sense of control and autonomy. That sense of empowerment makes a big difference in your happiness and resilience at work.
3. Helps You Earn Respect
One of the critical components governing the level of respect you have at work is how often you do what you said you’d do in the time you promised to do it. Here’s where assertiveness comes in. If you cannot ask for the resources you need to complete your work, it won’t get done. Assertive communication gives you a vehicle to ask for those resources and clearly state what you can do so the team can plan accordingly and count on your contributions.
Assertive communication also helps those in leadership to set priorities and expectations so that team members know which tasks to focus on and what to do if they encounter problems.
4. Reduces Stress
No one likes feeling unheard or as though their needs never make the priority list. It’s true in family relationships, and it’s true on the job, too. If you feel unheard as a leader or team member, assertive communication can help you break through that wall. Learning to speak up and state what you need firmly and clearly allows your coworkers to adjust their expectations and offer the support that helps the whole team succeed. Knowing you have a path to being heard reduces stress and ensures you have a safety net in your ability to speak up.
Expert Training on Assertiveness at Work
Mastering the balance of speaking assertively without being rude can be tricky, but it’s a skill worth learning. Our Assertiveness workshop teaches communication and conflict resolution styles and how to express yourself assertively for maximum impact. Deepen your understanding of what promotes job satisfaction and dissatisfaction and what to do for team members who want to be happy or happier. Contact us today to set up a training session on Assertiveness or for information on our coaching services.
5 Ways to Increase Happiness in Your Employees
Happiness at work is essential to today’s workforce. What’s especially great is the fact that happiness in your employees creates benefits for the company they work for, too. Happier employees complete their work faster and are more creative. They’re also less likely to quit their jobs, even if they’re offered more money somewhere else, according to this analysis from Gallup.
Having happy employees doesn’t happen by accident; it doesn’t simply mean hiring people with a positive attitude. Fostering and maintaining happiness in your employees is a deliberate effort. Here are 5 ways you can create a work environment that increases employee happiness and delivers the benefits of a happy crew to you.
1. Set the Example of Happiness
Start your day on a positive note. Think about something you’re looking forward to doing or experiencing at work today. Smile and greet your team members, and be as genuine as possible. Smiles, like happiness, are contagious, foster open communication, and help to lift the mood of the people you encounter.
2. Show Appreciation
Make a point to recognize a job well done on a regular basis. The simple act of saying thank you and taking note of a team member doing well not only boosts their confidence and self-esteem but also sends a message to the other team members that you’re engaged and you notice their work.
3. Be Flexible Whenever Possible
Offering employees choices about where and how they accomplish their work gives them a sense of control. Allowing them to choose their hours and break times also promotes a sustainable work-life balance and means they will be more focused and productive during the time they’ve set aside to work.
4. Create Comfortable Collaboration Spaces
Having a comfortable in-person or virtual break room is a significant benefit for your team. It creates a space where employees can disconnect from work for a few moments and mentally reset, and it provides a space where team members can collaborate, solve problems, and build relationships—all activities that benefit the health and happiness of the whole team.
5. Communicate with Transparency
What’s your vision for your team? How do your team members contribute to that vision? What are they doing that’s making a difference in the world? Talk to your employees about your organization’s bigger picture and how their work contributes to the overall goals. Giving them this insight helps them feel significant and invested in the outcome of their work.
Expert Training on Happiness at Work
It is not difficult to be happy at work and foster happiness in your employees. You simply need to know the guiding principles. Our Happiness and Performance workshop teaches the variables most often correlated with happiness, including the role of work itself. Deepen your understanding of what promotes job satisfaction and dissatisfaction and what to do for team members who want to be happy or happier. Contact us today to set up a training session on Happiness and Performance or for information on our coaching services. You can also read all about it in my book: 21 Days to Happiness for sale on Amazon.
Emotional Intelligence: 4 Ways to Build Your Self-Awareness Skills
The core of great leadership is understanding people. It’s understanding how to motivate them, how to find their strengths and harness them for your team. One powerful tool leaders use in effectively motivating and communicating with their teams is emotional intelligence. This is the skillset that helps leaders read the room and change their approach based on the kind of feedback or direction their team members need in the moment.
One of the key pillars of emotional intelligence is self-reflection and self-awareness. Counter to what you may be thinking, the way to get better at self-reflection isn’t through introspection. When we rely only on our perceptions of ourselves, we often get it wrong. Why?
We have a tendency to be our own blind spots. We already know and understand our own perspective, but what’s missing, without the input from others, is how what we say and the way we say it makes them feel. Though we may have meant something as a straightforward statement of fact, it may have come across like a cutting insult depending on our timing and facial expression as we delivered this information.
When we ask for feedback from others, it helps us to fill in those blind spots. It gives us new information to consider, and it helps us understand the gap between what we tried to express and the message others received.
Here are 4 ways to build better self-awareness and boost your emotional intelligence.
1. Choose Feedback Givers Who Can Afford to Be Honest
Flattery isn’t honest feedback, and it certainly won’t be helpful in allowing you to build accurate perceptions of yourself. So, who do you ask for feedback? Ideally, you ask people who can afford to be honest. Choose people who don’t need something from you rather than people who are depending on your feedback on an employee review or a critical piece of a collaborative project.
If you’re asking people to evaluate a specific situation, it’s best to ask someone who was actually in the room when it happened. That way their reaction isn’t impacted by your version of events, which will always be limited to your perspective.
Ask multiple people. Your team members and the other people around you are not a monolith. One person might find a comment you made to be deeply offensive while someone else maybe didn’t even catch that you said it. Asking multiple people gives you the opportunity to spot a trend. If multiple people were uncomfortable with something you said or did, it’s likely a situation you need to take a look at again so you can accept responsibility for anything that was out of line.
2. Ask Open-ended Questions
We’ve all had those conversations where someone asked a question in such a way that made it clear there was only one right answer. If you ask leading questions, you’re more likely to get biased answers. (You don’t think I was being too harsh in confronting her, right?) That can be tempting to do when we’re looking to recruit people to our side in a conflict, but it’s especially unhelpful when you’re trying to increase your understanding of how people see you.
Instead of questions that can be answered by agreeing or disagreeing with your position, ask questions that allow the feedback-giver to craft his own judgments. (How do you think the meeting went? What do you think about my approach? Etc.)
3. Pick Your Moment
Choosing the right time to ask for feedback is as important as choosing the right people to ask. Pouncing on someone as they’re leaving for lunch or heading to an important meeting can mean that the person isn’t truly focused on what you’re saying. They may be dismissive or agree with you without thinking about your question deeply because their minds are already locked onto their next tasks.
Asking if it’s a good time to interrupt them or asking to set a time later in the day for a quick meeting can help ensure that you’ll be heard and they’ll have time to accurately respond.
4. Resist the Urge to Explain or Defend
When someone gives you feedback, the best thing to do is listen. Resist the urge to defend yourself or explain your actions or behavior. Simply listen to what the person has to say and thank them for being honest. Ask clarifying questions if you aren’t sure what they mean.
After the conversation is over, allow yourself some time to process what was said. Can you understand your team member’s perspective? Does it make sense to you? What can you do differently in order to be understood more clearly in conversations in the future?
Boost People Skills with Our Emotional Intelligence Training
Having a strong emotional intelligence helps you stay calm in a crisis. It offers the skills to navigate difficult situations without losing your temper or becoming overwhelmed by stress or anxiety.
How do you gain a higher emotional intelligence? Easy. Check out our Emotional Intelligence training today and gain the tools for easier conflict resolution and managing stressful situations. Contact us to set up a training session.
4 Great Ways to Boost Your Interpersonal Communication Skills
Interpersonal communication refers to the methods we use to communicate thoughts, feelings, and needs to other people. On the job, this includes things like reporting the status of a task we’re working on, asking for information for a task or job, and resolving conflict between team members.
When we think about communication, we often think of the messages we’re sending out using words, such as our verbal or written communication, but interpersonal communication includes so much more than that. There are four types of interpersonal communication: verbal, non-verbal, listening, and written. We use all four types of communication daily, even in a single meeting!
Here are 4 ways you can boost your interpersonal communication skills so you can more quickly understand others and be understood.
1. Practice Active Listening
Active listening sounds basic, and it is quite simple: listening with the goal of understanding what someone is saying. That said, it’s easier said than done and most of us need to improve this, especially in our fast-paced world. It means listening without thinking of your response or forming rebuttals. It means using your body language to signal attentiveness.
To make sure you are truly listening, make sure to make eye contact, focus by removing notifications and distractions. If possible, take notes and ask questions to show that you are present and interested.
2. Use Assertive Communication
Using assertive communication means speaking in a respectful way that is clear and direct. “I” statements can help you strike the balance between being direct and respectful. For example, “I need more time to complete this task” is better than, “You didn’t give me enough time to finish.”
Instead of using words like “should” and “could”, try rephrasing with more positive words like “will” and “want”. Not only is this better communication, but it will also give you more of a sense of empowerment. There’s a big difference between, “I should get most of my emails answered today,” and “I want to reply to my important emails. I will do this by tomorrow end of day.”
3. Check Your Body Language
Nonverbal communication makes up a big part of our conversations, whether we consciously realize it or not. We look for clues in our listeners that show they’re paying attention, understand what we’re saying, and clues to help us assess how they feel about our ideas.
We also read the body language of people as they’re speaking to us. Maintaining eye contact tells listeners that you’re speaking directly to them. Good posture communicates that you have confidence in what you’re saying.
On the other hand, crossed arms or legs tend to signal discomfort or resistance to the ideas in discussion. Looking down or away from the people you’re speaking with suggests distraction or insecurity.
Checking in with your body before and during a conversation can help you make sure your unspoken conversation matches the words you’re saying and signals your confidence and connection with your team.
4. Practice Empathy
Practicing empathy will also help you communicate effectively. Just like learning to pay attention to body language and checking in with your body throughout a conversation, learning the habit of practicing empathy takes some deliberate attention.
Before speaking to a team member or manager, consider how you would feel on the other side of the conversation. Are you asking this person to take on additional responsibility? If so, they may feel excited at the new opportunity, or overwhelmed because they are already struggling to complete the tasks in their current responsibilities.
Being prepared for their response can help ensure you’re ready with an offer of support or have thought through the reasons this change is important so you’re prepared to articulate them.
Better Communication Means Better Results
Improving our interpersonal communication is time well spent. It makes you a better leader and more effective team member. Better interpersonal communication improves your persuasiveness and teaches you how to engage your listeners. It’s a powerful tool in your professional arsenal.
Learn the winning principles of good communication in our Effective Interpersonal Communication training. Contact us today to join or schedule a training session.
4 Great Ways to Support Intergenerational Teams
If your team is like most in the workforce today, it’s made up of members of multiple generations. Each generation is characterized by different values and priorities in the workplace. It can be challenging to make sure everyone’s needs are understood and met, yet doing so means greater investment in your company and greater satisfaction on the part of team members. Here are 4 great ways to support intergenerational teams in your workplace.
1. Provide Flexibility
One thing the most recent three generations—Generation X, Generation Y, and Generation Z—have in common is a desire for flexibility. The value looks a little different in each generation, though. For example, members of Generation Y often want the flexibility to work at least part of their hours remotely. They and Generation Z value the opportunity to work outside a traditional 9 to 5 time block. Baby Boomers don’t place as high a value on flexible time schedule, though they may wish to cut back their hours as they near retirement.
2. Vary Benefits Packages
Instead of a traditional “one size fits all” approach, try to offer options.
As Baby Boomers age, the likelihood of their facing long-term health challenges increases, so healthcare benefits are increasingly important to them. For younger employees, such as Generation Z members, benefits packages that include mental and physical health, like gym memberships can be a higher priority.
Offering a variety of benefits options gives each intergenerational team member the ability to set their own priorities. Feeling that their needs are important to the company is especially important to Generations Y and Z.
3. Feedback is Still the Breakfast of Champions
All generations want feedback and especially positive feedback. People need to feel appreciated, and recognition is almost always welcome. That said, the younger generations prefer quick, “on the spot” feedback where older generations are more used to performance appraisal meetings a few times a year.
4. Emphasize Development and Mobility
Especially for the younger generations, having career path options and clear understanding of upward opportunities within the company are key. While Baby Boomers tends to invest more loyalty in the company they work for, younger generations value personal development and mobility above loyalty to a job. If they find themselves in a position where they feel “stuck”, they’re more likely to search for opportunities elsewhere.
Establishing mentorship, training and/or coaching programs within your organization can help create opportunity for personal growth and development while also giving employees a sense of community and connection.
Learn to Make the Most of Distinctive Talents in Intergenerational Teams
It can be challenging to manage or work with people who belong to different generations. You may find it difficult to understand their needs and understand how use their unique strengths to create a strong intergenerational team. Get comprehensive training on how to meet the needs of your multigenerational team. Learn what each generation needs and how to boost excitement and productivity with our Intergenerational Teams workshop. Contact us today to set up a group or individual training.
Ingrid Kelada and the KCC team!
Owner of KCC Positive Business Psychology & Happiness Expert
4 Smart Ways to Get a Fresh Start
January is a perfect time to get a fresh start. You don’t have to set resolutions in order to give yourself a fresh start. All you need is a few minutes for a brief self-assessment and an open, curious mind.
1. Find Your Why
Before setting any goals for this year, consider the reasons behind them.
Your why may have to do with your professional life, or it may be more personal. You may enjoy the people you’re working with and find it rewarding to create an environment where you succeed together or you may just want to focus on you and improving your quality of life.
Understanding why a goal matters to you personally helps keep you focused. It helps you keep what’s truly important to you front and center. Have you read “Find Your Why” by Simon Sinek?
Having trouble putting your why into words? Consider journaling or talking with a friend, coach or mentor to get better clarity.
2. Set Clear Goals
Once you understand your why, you can narrow in on what specific goals best support it. What small changes would mean the most in your life in the context of your why?
Remember, concrete, specific goals are easier to complete because we can break them down into bite-sized, achievable steps.
Having trouble breaking down your goal into intermediary steps? Not sure how to achieve it? We can help! Our coaching solutions offer you the mentorship you need, targeted specifically to your goals.
3. Share Your Goals
When you announce and share your intentions you commit more…Talk to your boss or a team member about your goals for the year. You may want to set specific times to get together and discuss your progress. Perhaps this person can be another set of eyes and ears looking out for opportunities in the direction of your goal.
Try to avoid creating a one-sided relationship that’s focused only on your needs and success. Instead, look for a symbiotic relationship, where you each have something to offer one another in terms of support and experience.
4. Invest in Yourself
Make developing yourself a part of your goal. This might mean earning a new certification or degree, but it doesn’t have to. One of the easiest and most impactful ways to expand your knowledge is through reading. I just downloaded a new APP called Headway that gives me the opportunity to listen to an audiobook summary a day while talking my walk.
Identify key areas you’d like to improve in your work processes and relationships. Find a book, workshop or conference that will give you the opportunity to acquire those skills.
Another great development action-item can include attending workshops and seminars. For example, if you struggle with being more assertive, our workshop on The Secrets of Conflict Management will help you build that skill.
Get a Fresh Start with These 24 Workshops
KCC offers 24 different workshops and conferences to expand your expertise on critical business skills. All our workshops are taught by certified coaches or business psychologists who specialize in workplace behavior and are tailored to the specific needs of your industry or business and your current challenges.
We also offer a variety of coaching services to help you get the skills you need to succeed. Map out your career, develop strong leadership competencies, or prepare for a challenging workplace situation in one-on-one coaching sessions tailored to your schedule.
Contact us by email or simply book a meeting today to learn more ways we can help you this year.
Ingrid Kelada and the KCC Team
Owner of KCC Positive Business Psychology & Happiness Expert
5 Simple Tips for a Joyful Holiday Season
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! And sometimes the busiest time of the year, too. With all the extra celebrations, added errands, and weather changes, the holidays can lead to extra stress, but they don’t have to. Here are 5 simple tips for a joyful holiday season.
1. Limit Your To Do List
No one can do it all, and trying to is a recipe for stress and conflict in your life. As you sit down to make your to do list limit the number of items you can add. The holidays bring extra celebrations and events, extra shopping and cooking, and all those tasks take time above and beyond our normal daily commitments. Each morning, think about what your top priorities are for the day and allow yourself to add only one or two things to your Holiday To Do list each day.
A new idea is to add to your “TO BE” list, instead of your “TO DO” list: be grateful, be relaxed, be joyful, be yourself, etc.
2. Put Joy on the Calendar
What are the things you most look forward to during a holiday season? Is it a certain visit with an friend? A gift exchange over brunch? Watching festive movies and drinking hot cocoa with the ones you love? Whatever your traditions, be sure to put the moments you love on your calendar before it fills with other holiday hustle and bustle. This gives you something to look forward to, too.
On the flip side, try to politely decline certain events or activities if it doesn’t feel right…less can be more!
3. Check in with Your Body
Make a point throughout the holidays to check in with your body. Are you thirsty? In need of a healthy snack or meal to recharge your energy? Are you in need of rest?
Take the time to meet your body’s needs as soon as you possibly can. When we don’t meet our body’s needs, it often finds a louder way to make those needs known. Missing a meal can make us snappy or leave us with a headache. The longer we ignore our needs, the longer it can take to recover. Make a point to check in with your body regularly so you stay feeling great.
4. Give
There is no shortage of charitable opportunities at this time of year, and there’s nothing like the joy that giving to others brings to our lives. This holiday season, start a tradition of giving with your family, friends, or coworkers. You can let each person choose a charity that’s meaningful to them and take up a group collection. Or you might decide to commit to a service project, such as volunteering. Sometimes, it just can being nice on purpose….hold the door, buy someone a coffee, smile…
5. Celebrate the Relationships that Matter
In our last post, 5 Gratitude Practices, one practice we mentioned is to write a note to someone who matters to you. The holiday season is a wonderful time to try it. You don’t have to send a holiday card to everyone in your address book. Instead, consider sending a personal message to someone special. Let them know you’re thinking of them and how much their presence in your life means to you.
Give the Gift of Happiness This Holiday Season
Give the gift of happiness! If you want to share tools and tips to increase happiness, why not gift my book 21 Days to Happiness? You will find it here on Amazon in 3 formats, paperback, audiobook or ebook.
Whatever your plans this holiday season, we hope you and your loved ones have a safe, healthy, happy holiday! If we can help you with any business needs, please don’t hesitate to contact us today.
Ingrid Kelada and the KCC team!
Owner of KCC Positive Business Psychology & Happiness Expert
5 Easy Ways to Start a Daily Gratitude Practice
In the push from Halloween to Christmas, sometimes we lose sight of one of the most important traditions in holiday celebration: pausing to be thankful. In her research on joy, Daring Greatly author Brené Brown noticed a connection she didn’t expect. People who were living joyful lives also followed a daily gratitude practice. What does that mean?
Practicing gratitude goes further than having an “attitude of gratitude”, though that’s a great place to begin. A gratitude practice means taking action or spending time purposefully reflecting on experiences, relationships, and things we are grateful for.
This year, as the holidays approach, make a point to pause and reflect on the moments you’re grateful for. Maybe for you, it’s that coffee date with a friend, or watching your favorite holiday movie. How can you reduce stress and celebrate gratitude along with your holiday traditions this year? Here are 5 easy ways to add a gratitude practice to your life.
1. Keep a Gratitude Journal
Start a journal and commit to writing in it every day. Set a time to do this, perhaps just before bed or in the morning when you first wake up. List three things you’re thankful for. If you prefer the tech approach, there are many apps like 3 Good Things or 5 Minute Journal to log in the things that you feel thankful for. Once you get into the habit, you may find days where it’s hard to limit yourself to just three!
2. Create a Gratitude Jar
Place a large vase or jar in a central area in your home alongside scraps of paper and a pen. Write down something you’re grateful for every day on a slip of paper and place it in the jar. Consider setting a time of day when you add something to the jar.
Also set a time of the month or season when you sit down and read the notes in the jar. Perhaps every Sunday evening, so that you go into a new workweek with a boost of gratitude. You can do this alone or with your family and perhaps read your “best moments” together during the year end holidays!
3. Take a Savoring Walk
Each day, take a “savoring walk”. Spend about twenty minutes walking outside. Let your mind slow down and notice the shapes of the trees, the sound of the wind, and the feel of the sun on your face. Pause to appreciate these things and acknowledge your gratitude for them.
4. Appreciate by Abstaining
There are many ways in which we live comfortable lives. We have food to eat, electricity, and internet access. We have access to books and media through stores and libraries.
One way to practice gratitude is to choose to abstain from a pleasurable experience for a period of time. You may try giving up sweets, your favorite store-bought latte, or try a social media detox for a period of time, such as a week or two.
Every time you miss the experience you’ve decided to go without, pause to reflect on the joy those items or experiences bring to your life and your gratitude for them.
5. Write a Gratitude Letter and Deliver It
We’ve all had experiences that meant something to us in the moment. These are times when someone else helped us or offered meaningful encouragement at just the right moment. Think of a time this has happened to you, and write the person who encouraged or helped you a note thanking them for their help. Let them know how much it means to you. It doesn’t have to be a long note. It doesn’t even have to be a physical card, though there’s something special about receiving a personal note in the mail. The point is to express gratitude with someone about a meaningful moment.
Share Gratitude, Joy, and Happiness with Your Loved Ones
Learn more ways to embrace gratitude by reading my book, 21 Days to Happiness. Each day of the 21-day journey identifies areas of our lives that contribute to our overall happiness and what we can do to start living happier lives today. Day 1 focuses specifically on gratitude practices and the impact gratitude has on our lives.
5 Easy Tips for Giving Employee Feedback
Giving employee feedback is one of the key ways we train, reinforce, and communicate with our team members. Effective feedback motivates employees and increases their confidence in their job performance. It’s actually something team members consistently ask for on surveys about work satisfaction. Knowing how you’re doing, what you’re doing right, and what you can improve helps us feel connected to the job we do. It helps us understand how our contributions matter. And it helps build trust with our managers.
Here are 5 easy tips for giving employee feedback to boost your team’s success.
1. Feedback Matters
Focused feedback helps employees. Not only does it direct them to continue doing tasks in ways that are effective and beneficial, it also bolsters their confidence about the job they’re doing. A team member who has confidence about his role in the company is a happier employee. Happy employees work harder and stay with an employer longer. I know this may sound cheesy, but I still believe that “feedback is the breakfast of champions” because you can’t improve, if you don’t know what you could improve.
2. Frequency Matters
It’s tempting to focus our efforts giving feedback on annual reviews, and those may be important tools. There are hundreds of workdays between those annual reviews, though. Employees will experience more consistent growth, more energy on the job, and more motivation when they receive feedback on a much more frequent basis. The new trend is more about frequent, on-the-spot, micro feedbacks. Ideally, more positive than negative if possible. Remember the chapter in The One-Minute Manager: “Catch Them Doing Something Right”!
3. Timing Matters
Giving consistent employee feedback may take some time to get used to. We tend to get focused on tasks and deadlines more easily than on the people making those deadlines successful. To build a habit of offering regular feedback, identify some key moments where feedback doesn’t interrupt workflow or embarrass a team member. For example, one great opportunity for feedback is following a team meeting. If the feedback is relevant to the whole team, add it to the meeting agenda. If it’s specific to one team member or a small contingent of the group, ask those individuals to remain behind as the meeting closes.
4. Celebrate, Don’t Manipulate
In his book, Nonviolent Communication, author and psychologist Marshall B. Rosenberg discusses his approach to expressing appreciation. His concern with some forms of positive feedback is that employees can lose their motivation if they feel that a manager or leader complimented them in order to manipulate them. Instead, he recommends expressing appreciation with three specific components. First, express what specific action the team member completed that made a positive difference. Next, explain how you felt in reaction to those actions. Last, this is how those actions met a need.
The order is less important than ensuring the components of the appreciation are present. Remember authentic recognition creates a powerful boost to people’s morale.
5. Critical Feedback
Giving positive feedback feels great and leaves everyone smiling. What about when the feedback is less wonderful?
Remember your goal. Correcting an employee is not about shaming them for choices they made. It’s about redirecting their energy to methods or behaviors that will make the employee and the team overall more successful.
Be specific about the behavior you want altered. Explain how the change helps the team. This is especially important if the change adds more work or is a lengthier process for the team member.
Deepen Your Knowledge with The Art of Feedback and Difficult Conversations Training Session
Giving effective feedback creates a motivated, confident, and successful team, but it doesn’t happen accidentally. Learn how to boost your employees’ confidence through positive feedback. Get the best strategies and solutions for handling difficult situations.
Contact us now to schedule a comprehensive training session on The Art of Feedback.