Giving and receiving performance feedback Leadership and Management 2015
Program overview Understanding feedback How feedback works Person vs task or behaviour focus Positive, negative, constructive, neutral, technique and other words for feedback Process / tips for giving feedback Receiving feedback Summary and close
What is feedback anyway? Definition: The return of information about the result of a process or activity An evaluative response Translated into the HR context as: Providing evaluative information to another employee about their performance
Why do we need feedback? Feedback is a critical part of the supervisor s role: Provides a road map of work role and expectations Addresses issues with poor performance Can help to identify strengths Gives affirmation for good performance An opportunity for personal interaction between supervisor and staff member Helps staff to evaluate their behaviour Encourages changes
How does feedback work? In most cases poorly! Things that get in the way of effective feedback include? Supervisor unwilling to criticise Staff member hostile to perceived personal attack Warm, fuzzy and vague to protect relationships Focus on the individual rather than the task or behaviour Anxiety affecting clear communication
Individual vs task focus Feedback elicits attention to either the person or the task Attention to the person: How good / bad am I? Attention to the task: How good / bad was the work? Focusing on the individual: Diverts attention away from the task performance Invites defensive behaviour
Use a task focus Task focus addresses what is observable about outcomes, behaviour and task Describes how the performance has met / not met expectations Is direct and accountable by using I statements, eg: I have noticed I have observed Is specific, not global, about the gaps (positive or negative) between performance and expectations
Languaging feedback Positive feedback equated with praise Negative feedback equated with criticism Neutral feedback what does that mean anyway? Constructive feedback cynically translated into negative feedback by most
Golfball game
Feedback is feedback Drop the adjectives: Most people don t believe them anyway Those who are receiving feedback will create their own perceptions about its value Most feedback is well-intentioned, regardless of whether it s negative or positive
The supervisor s role Give feedback frequently, not once a year Create the right context Invite self-rating before offering feedback Encourage participation Recognise effective performance Focus on problem-solving Focus on behaviour or results Minimise criticism Agree to specific goals and set a date to review progress (if required)
Okay, but how do I say it? Content: Identify the topic or issue for feedback Provide specifics of what happened Manner: Be direct and use I statements Avoid need to phrases Be sincere and avoid yes, but or mixed messages Express appreciation or concern where appropriate Give feedback person-to-person, eg: not solely via email State observations, not interpretations Timing and frequency: ASAP or ASAR?
Feedback is a gift Observations and perceptions are not the same thing as the truth Each person is free to accept or reject anything You can receive the feedback in several ways: Willing to act on it Unwilling to hear the other person s perceptions Putting it away and forgetting about it
Samples of feedback Employee has reached rock bottom and started to dig His men would follow him anywhere, but only out of morbid curiosity Works well when under constant supervision and cornered like a rat in a trap Employee has delusions of adequacy Employee sets low personal standards, then consistently fails to achieve them Employee should go far the sooner he starts, the better
Activity performance feedback Read through the attached scenario and Criteria for leading a meeting In groups, respond to the following questions: What evidence of performance problems did you observe? How would you provide performance feedback, eg: what would you say? Discuss with the large group
Reframing Assigning another meaning or sense to a situation or context Not just about shifting from negative language to positive language Looks at the situation through a different frame or focus and focuses on problem solving: The person is not the problem the problem is the problem The person has a relationship with the problem Reframing describes that relationship and puts the problem in the centre of the conversation
Facilitative questioning Questions that hinder: Why did you What made you Do you think Is that what you think Don t you think Isn t it better Questions that help: Tell me about How do you see What does that look like / sound like How can I What s your understanding of
You can dish it out, but How often do you receive performance feedback from your team? What gets in the way of your staff providing you with feedback? Think about a time when you wanted to give your supervisor feedback: What did you do? How did they respond?
It won t be offered up You might want to create opportunities for feedback: When you have given someone feedback, ask them how it was Ask for feedback after specific situations Ask what you did well, what you did less well and what could be done differently You might not like what you hear, so be prepared
Strategies for receiving feedback Control your defensiveness Listen to understand Suspend judgement Summarise and reflect back what you ve heard Ask clarifying questions and examples
Responding to feedback Show your appreciation Remember that it s not easy to give any sort of feedback when there is a power difference Practice stress management If you get upset / angry or disagree, take time out before continuing conversation
Activity receiving feedback In pairs: Use the scenarios provided Take it in turns to give and receive feedback for 5 minutes each Debrief with each other for 1 minute Swap around Debrief in large group
Summary Feedback is a process laden with perceptions and expectations Be clear in your language and use helpful questioning throughout the process Use feedback to provide meaningful information to your staff about their performance Create opportunities for your staff to give you feedback Remember that feedback is feedback it may not always be the truth, but it is always useful