The feedback I'm talking about here isn't some sort of formalised appraisal that takes place with your team members every month, or every six months or once a year. This feedback happens continually and it happens when you see or hear something you want to give feedback on. The trick is - keep it simple.
If you see or hear something you do like - you tell the team member about it. If you see or hear something you don't like or feel could be done better - you tell the team member about it and you coach them.
Confirming Feedback is about giving the good news. It's about confirming to your team member that you approve of whatever it is you've seen them do or heard them say. It's a compliment or a thank you.
It also seems to be something that some managers have great difficulty with. They take the attitude that - "why tell people that you're pleased with them when they're only doing what they're paid to do in the first place."
A great deal of this attitude stems from managers believing they having to be big and tough and macho. And managers don't do all that touchy-feely stuff, saying thank you is for wimps.
If you still feel a bit like that, think for a moment how you felt if a manager ever gave you a genuine compliment or a thank you for a job well done. I bet you felt pretty good and probably motivated to do even better. I'm also sure you didn't think your boss was a big softy or that he lacked courage; probably the opposite.
Successful managers realise that almost everyone reacts positively to Confirming Feedback. They feel better about themselves and they feel motivated to repeat the behaviour. There is a saying that says - "You get more of what you reward."
Michael LeBoeuf tells this fable in his book 'The Greatest Management Principle in the World.' -
A man went fishing one day. He looked over the side of his boat and saw a snake with a frog in its mouth. Feeling sorry for the frog, he reached down, gently took the frog from the snake and set the frog free. But then he felt sorry for the snake. He looked around the boat, but he had no food. All he had was a bottle of whisky; so he opened the bottle and gave the snake a few shots. The snake want off happy, the frog was happy and the man was happy to have performed such a good deed. He thought everything was fine until about ten minutes passed and he heard something knock against the side of the boat. With stunned disbelief, the fisherman looked down and saw the snake was back with two frogs!
So if you tell one of your team that you like the way they have completed some aspect of their work, then you'll find that they continue to do that work in the same way or probably even better.
However, your feedback must be genuine.
Sometimes on a seminar, I ask the group - "Who likes receiving compliments?" Often only a minority will put up their hand. I then ask them - "Who likes receiving a genuine compliment?" This time almost everyone puts up their hand. People often feel that a compliment isn't really meant and they sometimes feel a bit patronised. That's why it's important that your Confirming Feedback is genuine and it
sounds genuine. Don't say it if you don't mean it!
Sam Walton the founder of Wal-Mart once said - "Nothing else can substitute for a few well chosen, well timed, sincere words of praise. They're absolutely free and worth a fortune."
Confirming Feedback is worth a fortune to you in terms of motivating your team and achieving your goals and targets.
Discover how you can generate more business by motivating your team! Alan Fairweather is the author of "How to get More Sales by Motivating Your Team" This book is packed with practical things you can do to get the best out of your people . Click here now http://www.howtogetmoresales.com
http://www.howtogetmoresales.com
Oswego taxi to Midway ..Eight Principles for Purposeful AlignmentEffective teamwork requires individual members of... Read More
Sometimes the greatest challenges lay not within the actions of... Read More
Project Head Start has been successful not only for the... Read More
Recently while waiting for our lunch to be served in... Read More
CREATE A MOTIVATIONAL CLIMATE: Create a climate where others find... Read More
Consensus is the appropriate decision strategy for the most important... Read More
In the constantly changing world of Call Centers, asking agents... Read More
You're at a meeting with key staff. You want some... Read More
We all know someone who just drives us batty. Perhaps... Read More
Team Building Question:Our office has recently learned that about 20... Read More
Let's look at the detail of giving feedback. Whether you... Read More
One of the best lessons I have learned is the... Read More
If asked to look at your work calendar for the... Read More
TEAM LEADERS WORKSHOPAlice asked Cheshire cat "which road should I... Read More
1. Involve them. Many employees want to be involved in... Read More
In the new corporate environments where everyone wears more than... Read More
Just today my partner Russ and I sat down to... Read More
Teams run most businesses and teams work best if each... Read More
12 Tips and Reminders for Team Members To Enjoy Their... Read More
Remember playing in your childhood sandbox? If you enjoyed being... Read More
Leaders are faced with unlocking the potential in the people... Read More
When leaders, consultants and managers require ideas, they automatically tend... Read More
On the trail in Northern Canada "Marche" was the word... Read More
According to the Oxford Dictionary of Current English, to speak... Read More
As I work with clients to strengthen their teams and... Read More
shuttle from Midway Morris ..The other day I got a call from a friend... Read More
Any x by y matrix plan has one big risk...... Read More
We all know someone who just drives us batty. Perhaps... Read More
Franchisees of a particular franchise must get along in order... Read More
"Tak kenak! Tak kenak!" "Adak Orang sanak!????"The quiet jungle has... Read More
Are workers telling the truth when they say they are... Read More
"Conflict becomes politics, commitment becomes 'Only if it's in my... Read More
The key to life is to be around the people... Read More
The world of work has changed. It used to be... Read More
Having experienced more than my fair share of conflict over... Read More
"Asking questions can be a means of establishing authority, fulfilling... Read More
The Dance of ConflictWhen faced with the prospect of meeting... Read More
One of the most memorable quotes that I heard from... Read More
No figure in history is like General Patton. He was... Read More
At a time when many companies are scaling down their... Read More
Over the years there has been much ado about team... Read More
A grassy field, two nets, a soccer ball and some... Read More
Recently while waiting for our lunch to be served in... Read More
Teams, teams, teams. They're all the rage these days. Whether... Read More
It's not true in every organization, but it is true... Read More
Workplace safety is important to all businesses for ethical, legal... Read More
Eight Principles for Purposeful AlignmentEffective teamwork requires individual members of... Read More
Recently, while developing a customer service program, I asked my... Read More
Turbulent TwistersYou've read about it in the headlines and experienced... Read More
Ever watched a really brilliant idea meet with resistance and... Read More
Team Building |