As a leader, it’s your job to spot what’s going right. To do that, you must habitually make it your business to find out. We give you five good reasons why positive feedback is so important.
So what should you do if something has gone right? You should start by finding out precisely what the person did that resulted in a good outcome. Why is this necessary? Here are five reasons:
- You may learn something useful yourself.
- You have the chance to inform your team member that they have a skill they probably take for granted and are therefore not aware they have.
- It’s a tremendous motivator for your team member to know that their efforts are appreciated, and that you’ve taken the trouble to pinpoint exactly what they did that was so successful.
- Praise for something well done will result in those same skills being exercised on a future occasion.
- Lastly, positive face-to-face feedback is very impactful, far more than a “well done” email, and has a habit of trickling down throughout the organisation.
An employee once told me that my client, the MD of a 100-employee company, had asked to see him. He thought he was in for some sort of reprimand. In fact, sometime before this, I let the MD know that his employees had told me that he never gave positive feedback. I had asked him to try it out – face-to-face – and listen for any positive results of doing so. The employee went on to say that his MD had not just told him what a great job he’d done, but “even touched me on the shoulder” while doing so! And it was this small gesture that got round the whole place in a day.
So my client also got positive feedback about the effect of his giving positive feedback for a job well done!
In your positive feedback, it’s important to say what you particularly thought was well done. What skill was demonstrated – tenacity, clarity, knowledge, creativity? Doing this will inevitably result in your team member sharpening up that skill still further – to gain more recognition, further great results, and more positive feedback.
It is impossible to give too much praise for something well done. It’s something that deep down we all yearn for – much more than we normally get in western cultures, much less than we normally receive. Recognising skill and positive results will set you apart as a leader. And watch out for the impact on the rest of your team members!
Struggling to find reasons to give positive feedback to your team? Contact us for some help and advice.
About The Author: Kate Mercer
Kate creates working environments that allow you, your people and your organisation to produce great results through communication, real teamwork and streamlined working practices.
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