.png)
Half of employees don't receive feedback from their boss. What can you do about that?
That's a crazy thought right? Nearly half of employees do not receive feedback from their manager. In fact, "almost half (47%) of employees report that they received feedback from their manager 'a few times or less" in the past year", Gallup.
Have you ever worked in an environment where you don't receive feedback from your boss, whether it is good, bad, or indifferent? I've been in that situation. As one of those needy Millennials who value continuous feedback, that was difficult for me. I left it up to my own imagination most of the time, good right? If your imagination is anything like mine, it is heavily influenced by anxiety - causing the perfect storm. As it turns out, Millennials crave feedback but are adversely affected by negative or critical feedback. This is where experts strongly suggest leaders have a coaching approach to providing feedback. I always hated not knowing because I always expected the worst. No feedback at all was much worse than negative feedback in my mind or so I thought.
When the words do you have a moment, we need to talk, or I want to talk to you about something, reaches my ears - I immediately cringe. The news could be that I'VE WON THE LOTTERY and if those three phrase hit my ears, I brace for impact. Especially after receiving no communication from my immediate supervisor.
So as a manager, I made it my mission to aim for constant feedback to my team. Open communication is a great practice. And if you work in a collaborate office environment, without walls, without borders, it is easy to collaborate. However, this is far from providing good feedback, although this is a good team building approach. Consider how people prefer to receive feedback. Some like being awarded positive feedback publicly but most appreciate private feedback. And providing negative feedback in private is of the utmost importance. Both critical and positive feedback need to be in real time and absolutely must be authentic.
Authentic feedback is critical to creating a strong and lasting relationship with your team. And of course, we all get wrapped up in our day. You've been there, the deadlines, the interrupting but important phone calls, running to the 13th meeting of the day, and squeezing in lunch. As you drive home at night you think, oh no! I forgot to tell Oscar (not the same from The Office) that he did a fantastic job on the report that was submitted to the board of director on Monday. I know, I'll tell him in the morning. And we all know what happens in the morning...
So here is my professional recommendation, schedule quick connect weekly meetings also known as One:On:One Weekly Coaching with each direct report.
Here is how you do it:
Meet with your employee(s) to discuss the intention of the weekly meeting
This time is for the employee to discuss the employee's purpose, goals, development, strategy, wellbeing, etc.
Set aside 10-15 minutes to discuss areas above
Setup a weekly recurring meeting on the employee's calendar
Make this time positive, if you have to address negative feedback do so by focusing on opportunities
Use "W" questions - What, Why, When and How
This simple and mindful exercise will develop trust amongst your team(s), set department and individual goals, and increase morale to a place you would never have thought. Most important - DON'T forget to celebrate your employee wins!
Providing feedback in an environment as today's working world is of the most critical nature. This could be the fine thread that holds your team to the Company. What a great opportunity for you to capitalize on!
I'm giving away a free resource for you to start building your own One:On:One Weekly Coaching Sessions! Get your workbook today and be amazed by the level you bring your team to.