Connected Feedback
How can we provide our staff and teams with feedback when and how it is most useful?
There are few skills as important or challenging for a leader than giving feedback. Feedback helps our employees and our organizations succeed by steering us toward our goals and supporting growth. But providing useful feedback is often neglected, with kudos and positive feedback falling to the bottom of the to-do list or tacked on with little enthusiasm at the end of a phase or project, and negative feedback avoided until we can no longer escape action or are long past being able to accurately or effectively learn from an incident.
How can we provide our staff and teams with feedback when and how it is most useful?
Approach feedback as an opportunity for collaboration and connection, and not as a lecture. This approach is exemplified in Dare to Lead (You Can Leadership's first Amplify Bookshelf read) when Dr. Brené Brown writes:
"I know I’m ready to give feedback when I’m ready to sit next to you rather than across from you.”
Aim to listen more than you speak. Approach feedback as a conversation with a goal of understanding (not just action). So ask questions to ensure that you have a complete understanding of the situation and then listen carefully before responding. Even with positive feedback, we should allow time to hear what went well.
Balance timeliness with space. Feedback is rarely useful or effective if it isn't delivered as soon as possible, yet we also need to ensure a conducive environment. Is the physical space comfortable and appropriate? Who should be present? Is there sufficient time for discussion and reflection? Consider carefully the time and space for providing feedback.
Focus on future actions and growth. While we want to operate from a place of understanding, feedback should be future-focused and support growth. What can be learned from the situation and how can we improve in the future? What actions need to be taken to resolve a problem or to celebrate a success and build upon it?
Focus on accountability (theirs and yours). With positive feedback, acknowledge the broader impacts of a contribution. When giving negative feedback, avoid blame and shift the focus to shared accountability. While responsibility for an incident may fall on the shoulders of your employee, accountability for a resolution and next steps should be shared.
By making feedback a priority, shifting the focus to future actions, and approaching feedback as a collaborative learning opportunity, you can provide useful feedback that increases connections and lifts up your team.
Also published as a LinkedIn article.
Image by Pexels from Pixabay
Connected Networking
Approaching networking as an opportunity to thank someone or to learn more about them has made networking feel less forced and opened a door to genuine connections.
Image description: Hand holding blank business card.
I’ve always struggled with the networking aspects of attending conferences and other professional events. While I’m someone who loves to talk with new people, I have tended to only explore connections with those where the interaction felt really genuine or natural. If that instant connection wasn’t there, I told myself that it wasn’t worth reaching out after the event. But I recently realized that even when I felt that instant connection, I still wasn’t reaching out after meeting someone at an event. I didn’t want to “bother” the other person, particularly if there wasn’t some practical or immediate reason to follow-up with them. And I didn’t want to feel like I was pressuring them to further our connection or to pursue a business relationship. This approach left me with an untouched stack of other people’s business cards and a lot of missed opportunities.
Starting and promoting You Can Leadership has me out at a lot of professional events and I recently attended a conference we were sponsoring. So a few weeks ago I resolved to approach these events and networking differently. Instead of waiting for the clouds to part and the sun to shine upon some instant connection, I was going to take action by:
Reaching out with a quick email after exchanging business cards.
I’ve started sending short and quick emails to people I’ve met at professional events. Just a few lines in the days after the event to say that I enjoyed meeting them, or to wish them luck in an endeavor they mentioned, or share the full title of a book we discussed or I think they might enjoy. I may also add a line to my email suggesting getting together for coffee or finding a time to chat via phone. I was particularly inspired by a presentation Tracy Jenkins gave on Informational Interviewing, and have asked for a time to meet or talk so that I can learn more about their career path and current role or industry.
Sending thanks and kudos to presenters, event organizers and others who made a positive contribution or impression on me.
I’ve also started reaching out to presenters, event organizers or others who made an impression on me at an event. These are often people I didn’t have the opportunity to talk with or to introduce myself. I just send a quick email letting them know I enjoyed their talk, appreciated their work, or was impressed by something they did or said. I may also suggest getting together for coffee or finding time to talk via phone to get to learn more or get to know them. Who doesn’t enjoy getting positive feedback? I recently received such an email myself and it really brightened my week!
While some of these connections have (at least so far) ended with just an email exchange, some have resulted in meetings and conversations that have been really wonderful - I’ve learned a lot and gotten to know some really interesting people. Approaching networking as an opportunity for me to thank someone or to learn more about them has also made networking feel less forced for me - I’m simply opening a door to a possible connection. The worst that can happen is that they don’t respond. But the possibilities for developing a genuine connection are certainly worth the small effort.
Image by Michal Jarmoluk from Pixabay