To the Dynamic PEACE Change Leaders,
For PEACE to be sustainable, it’s about creating a culture (“how staff behave when their managers aren’t around”) that supports it.
As Managers and Change Leaders, you play a key role in empowering and reinforcing such behavioural change.
A key tool to “reinforce” behaviour change is providing your staff with feedback. They say feedback is “the breakfast of champions”. I say it’s feedback that’s empowering that makes champions.
This piece offers tips on how to offer effective feedback that empowers and reinforces change (as opposed to “demoralises” or “creates defensiveness”, etc.). I have paraphrased some of this ideas from Zig Ziglar’s wonderful book titled “Top Performance”.
TIP #1: Be observant and on the constant look-out for the good in others. Reinforce positive behaviour and changes, however small, immediately. Feedback is most effective when it’s timely.
- Like mining for gold, leaders are constantly digging to find the good (or gold) in others, ignoring the dust. When you find it, celebrate it immediately.
- If there’s one thing people crave, it’s emotional “gold” – praise and acknowledgment for a job well done.
- By doing this, you help your colleague associate such positive behaviour with “pleasure”, making them unconsciously want to do it again, and again.
Actions:
PEACE Committee, evaluate the PEACE nomination system – is it offering feedback that is “timely” enough?
PEACE Leaders, are we doing enough to find and acknowledge the good?
TIP #2: Offer feedback that is specific and sincere.
“You did a great job cleaning up that SOP. I found the new SOP easy to follow, accurate and well-documented. Just as importantly, you followed up to ensure the staff were provided with training to ensure they were aware and following the new procedures.”
is more effective than
“You did a great job”.
TIP #3: Use the “feedback sandwich”.
- Start with what’s GREAT
- Followed with, WHAT else is GREAT
- And “Here’s something that could make it even BETTER…..”
- Finish positively with “And overall…..”
Example:
“I liked that you started off the meeting with a well-planned agenda.
And I also liked that you kept it on time.
And I think that by encouraging participants to turn off their mobiles or put them to ‘silent” before the meeting, we (NOTE: keyword here is “we”, not “you”) should be able to retain the energy levels in the room even more effectively the next time around.
And overall, I feel like we’re making positive progress. Keep it up!”
TIP #4: Criticise the performance, praise the performer
Example:
“For someone of your great talent, experience and expertise, I feel like the communications session fell short in terms of the positive outcomes we were seeking. We were looking for the audience to come away feeling even more motivated and empowered. I am convinced that by applying your strong attention to detail to mental preparation and visualisation to the emotional states you want to create before future comms sessions, you will get the result you deserve.”
Put the above into practice, each and every day, in all situations (in and out of work) and experience the wonderful fulfilment you will get from this.
Remember
“You can get everything you want in life, when you give others what they want”. – Zig Ziglar
“No one has ever suffered from too much sincere praise or acknowledgment”.
“One of your most important things you can do as a leader is to raise your team’s self-esteem. High self-esteem = high self-motivation and results = PEACE”. – Dominic Siow
TIP #5: The most important measure of the effectiveness of your feedback piece is – what emotional state have you left the recipient?
Feeling more empowered, motivated, determined to succeed OR demoralised, defensive, ready to quit?
The “art” of knowing how hard to push/pull and this comes from [1] a desire to learn/improve/serve [2] sensory acuity to emotions. If you are not getting the desired result, hold yourself accountable and ask yourself how you can make it even better! Remember – “resistance is a sign of a lack of rapport”.
This is one of the most powerful skills you could develop – persist and enjoy the benefits!
Kindest,
