Let's look at each one of these in turn:
First, effective feedback should be relevant to the team member and the results they are expected to get. Feedback should be tied into their performance areas and/or career development opportunities. Knowing your team, and discussion, should point you to areas where, and what type of feedback, will be relevant for each person. When holding feedback and performance conversations be specific (as we saw in yesterday's post) to what you've seen as well as to the level at which is expected.
Consider what type of feedback and which areas are relevant right now for each one of your team members.
Second,feedback should always be about observable behaviors, not personality. Be specific about what was seen, not inferred. Talking about the behavior and impact keeps feedback performance related. Imagine that you were to film the incident - what were those behaviors you noticed. Share these with your team members. Also have them become more aware of their actions and also impact. If you are encouraging more peer support, share with them the importance of sharing feedback based on observable behaviors.
Finally, it is useful to make feedback a two-way process. As leaders ourselves our performance is not perfect. When you do meet with team members for performance related conversations it is an opportunity to get feedback about your own performance. This feedback may point to areas you need to improve on as well as how your actions are being perceived by different team members and other stakeholders.
As I've written a bout in the past, one-on-ones also provide an opportunity for regular feedback both ways.
Consider your upcoming opportunities for feedback this week and this month. What do you want to focus on and/or incorporate into these conversations?
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