Hey manager, you want your people to actually LISTEN to you and DO the stuff you tell them to do? Then stop wasting your breath and give them some feedback that will matter to your business flow and bottom line.
Your feedback should not be hit or miss. Humans need to eat every day for optimal success. Likewise, teams need feedback on a regular basis if they are to be expected to perform at optimal levels for any length of time. More importantly, your feedback should be honest without being vindictive. You have been baffled by the stupidity displayed by one of your people in a given situation, but your feedback should come from the heart of a teacher…especially when you want to pitch that guy out the nearest window.
Think about it, do you really want to go through the cost, frustration and uncertain result of another hiring process just because Bob or Jim or Sandy screwed up? Instead, be specific about where they went wrong and equally specific about how they can do better next time.
Be insightful. Have you ever considered that one of the reasons your team might not be performing to expectations is that they don’t understand the full context of their part in the process? Instead of just telling your team how their performance is wrong or bad or below expectation, explain to them why the expected performance matters to a greater part of the bigger picture. Don’t try to give them everything.
Lots of folks freak out when they get the Entire Show dumped on them all at once, but it can be incredibly helpful for them to understand exactly how their expected performance benefits a single system or several related systems. Give them a reason to see themselves as an integral part of a greater whole, and they will work harder and smarter. Just give them One Job to do all day, and they will slack off. It’s human nature.
Beyond that, involve your team member in the process of feedback. Make at least part of the scenario a conversation. Ask for their input and create an expectation of honest communication. If they are not thinking about their job enough to try to improve it, you probably don’t need that person on your team.
Now, if you are still reading and you don’t believe how you respond to your team matters, you can click away because you are probably about to be replaced. However, if you want to turn your team into YOUR TEAM, then make these feedback tips part of your business acumen. Your team will appreciate the consideration, and you will definitely appreciate the results.
Jonah Engler is a New Yorker who works as a financial analyst, investor and stock broker in Manhattan. Engler is a coffee lover and social media expert.
