Feedback Done Right
As professionals, we’ve probably all received feedback or provided feedback to others in the work place. We can think of a few examples where the content and approach went fairly well, and then some that did more damage than good.
A few years ago, there was a study done at GE on the effectiveness of performance reviews. The findings were interesting; two main things were uncovered:
If we want to engage long-term memory and encourage a lasting change, we have to engage objectively and emotionally.
Think about that for a second. It is quite counter-intuitive to process information emotionally in a professional environment. In fact, it’s discouraged. Businesses like to think they run on pure logic and objectivity, but it turns out we miss a huge opportunity to create lasting change if we don’t also engage the emotional side of employees. This means that if we want to provide feedback (or accept it), there must be a part of our brains that process the information with our emotions. Which can be tricky.
2. Feedback is mostly focused on the negative. The study found that the more managers criticized an area, the less improvement there was.
If we take this fact and marry it with the first takeaway, it makes sense that feedback often doesn’t result in the change we want to see. By providing negative feedback or only criticizing the undesirable behaviors, our human instinct is to discredit the feedback and seek ways to excuse the misconception. Therefore, we never emotionally process or accept the feedback.
What the study did uncover seems like common sense.
Focus on the positive
Encourage the behaviors you want to see
Understand that people are not motivated by rewards, but by being fully engaged in their work
Essentially, if you want to engage employees and get the best work out of them, find a way to increase internal motivation. Help them see their strengths and capitalize on those. Re-frame the feedback in a way where the focus isn’t on the issues, but rather on the opportunity at hand.
On the flip side, when provided with feedback, it’s important to remember that there are a number of ways to look at and experience the world. Try to listen to what people are saying, and try to see it from their perspectives. Then - you can decide what to do with it…
We’d love to hear your own experiences with feedback - good and bad. Leave us your comments!