But we all know that ‘Feedback is the breakfast of champions’, as Ken Blanchard put it, essential for any successful business owner wanting to build strong relationships and develop a high performing team, so what’s the problem?
I was discussing this very thing with my Masterminding buddies the other day, and to a man they said, ‘It’s the confrontation’. Nobody wants it. We’re all too worried about the reaction, and how we’ll deal with it.’
So what happens when it comes to delegation? We give someone a job, but then we don’t tell them how they did? Did they do it well? badly? at all?
Feedback really is essential, and there are four different types.
- Appreciative – This is the type that most of us enjoy, because it’s the sort we give when a task has been done as we expected. To really hit home, It needs to be specific, and ideally given in front of others.
Why? Because thanking a team member for a job well done in front of their team mates will 1) make them feel really good about themselves, and 2) show the rest of the team what ‘a job well done’ looks like, so that they can repeat the task to the same level.
Appreciate feedback is as much a training tool, as a way to recognise good performance.
- Constructive – When we’ve asked for a job to be done, and it’s not been done to the standard we wanted, we need to give constructive feedback to show how it needs to be done differently next time.
It still needs to be specific, but given on a 1:1 basis and definitely not in front of the team. We want our team member to go away thinking about how they’re going to do a better job next time, not thinking about how we’ve just embarrassed them in front of their mates.
If we get this right and offer our support, they’ll be motivated and keen to do the job to our standard next time.
- Negative – The type of feedback that we should never use, but unfortunately use most often! Negative feedback makes it very clear that a job hasn’t been done well, but doesn’t explain what needs to be done differently to get it right next time.
Your team member doesn’t know what they need to improve on so they can’t perform to a higher standard and, worse still, they’re left feeling either completely demotivated, or properly cheesed off.
- Ignore – When you don’t give any feedback to your team, you deprive them of their Blanchard breakfast – and prevent them from ever becoming champions in your business. Like sending someone to Coventry – completely ignoring them – can also be incredibly damaging, and turn a highly motivated employee into one who thinks ‘Why should I bother – he won’t check anyway’.
You want to build a high performing team, where individuals grow and flourish? Don’t skip breakfast!
Want to know more about getting the most from your people so your business runs without you there?
Want to know how McDonald’s get the most out of theirs?
Then download our Busy Business Owner’s Guide to Achieving Consistently Excellent Performance, and learn how to model McDonald’s and build your high performing team.
Click HERE to download.
For more information on how MPL can help you visit www.mariannepage.co.uk or contact me on hello@mariannepage.co.uk
