Feedback is one of the pillars of being a manager but often requires a dedication not common to make it valuable.
Feedback is a critical activity for both team members and you as a manager. To understand its importance we can take the view from the other side: try to think about the consequences of the absence of feedback: without this tool it is extremely easy to get out of tracks that lead to the goal, to destroy people’s motivations, to waste precious energy in useless efforts.
But be aware: giving feedback is not simply transferring one’s thoughts transparently, but also being constructive and being positive. And most of all to do it with a purpose.
Try to think about the last feedback you received. How it was? Was it a positive experience? Was the feedback process a two-way street (i.e. from your manager to you, and back to the person you were talking to) or was a monologue style one with a “sender” and a “receiver”?
Unfortunately, the feedback isn’t always well modeled, nor it is regular. In many organizational cultures, managers avoid providing feedback, except in formal meetings. Instead, it is important to provide assessments and information on a regular basis, even in normal daily activity. The more constant it is the more will be a culture rather than an obligation.
Let’s look at some interesting facts about feedback.
- A Towers Watson study found that “43% of medium to high performing employees receive feedback at least once a week compared to only 18% of low performing employees.”
- OfficeVibe.com notes that “the turnover rate is 14, 9% lower in companies that implement regular employee feedback “.
- 65% of employees say they want more feedback according to the business2community.com
So not only your feedback should be timely and valuable but also well paced and, most of all, answer to the request of getting feedback.
This last point in my view demonstrates that feedback is a demand from our people and is one of the keys to keep them involved and committed.
