Giving Feedback that Motivates and Inspires Change

Giving feedback that gets the intended results is a tricky business. It would be easy if the manager could make a blunt performance observation and the recipient would simply absorb it and improve. But we’re human, and that just isn’t how it works.

The truth is, even softened criticism rarely leads to performance improvement. This is a special challenge for virtual leaders who may need to have hard conversations with remote employees about their performance. Psychologically, when we receive feedback that is at odds with our self-perception, we work hard to disprove it. Human beings see negative feedback as a threat. We'd rather find new networks that confirm our self-perception than take in feedback that we are not as good as we see ourselves.

Does that mean that the virtual leader can never give constructive feedback? Certainly not. The leader needs to focus on their employees’ desire for self-development. What are their desires and aspirations? How can skill improvement support their goals?

When constructive feedback is developmental, employees feel supported. Each of us wants to be recognized for our value to the organization. We thrive in work environments built on positive feedback and recognition.

One study reported in Harvard Business Review suggested that the balance between positive and negative feedback should be as high as six-to-one on high performing teams. Six positive comments create the kind of work environment where people thrive, making it possible to hear and act on that one constructive area for improvement.

This suggestion is not the “sandwich” method of giving feedback, where one positive comment is followed by one constructive piece of feedback and then a final positive comment. Rather it’s a call for the virtual leader to pay attention to the work culture they are creating every day. Is the leader’s focus on what’s working well, how people are contributing, and on a shared desire for continuous improvement? Do they allow people to take initiative, make mistakes, and learn from them? Are creativity, problem solving, and innovation welcomed?

Join Cynthia Clay at the next NetSpeed Nuggets session, Five Critical Strategies for Effective Virtual Leaders, coming up on Thursday, September 5 (10:00 Pacific / 1:00 Eastern). We will spend 45 minutes exploring the key strategies that increase success for virtual leaders.

Register now to reserve your spot.   

Training Tips: Nobody Wings It

At The Olympics

I’ve had several experiences delivering presentations and training programs recently where the client has remarked, “You are really well-prepared!” I guess I’m like a Boy Scout in this regard. I’ve learned that if I attend to the preparation details, I’m freed up to be fully present and spontaneous in my delivery.

My preparation includes:

• Knowing the web conference platform thoroughly so I’m not overly dependent on a producer

• Giving myself two weeks or more to develop the content (including the slides) so I can revisit and tweak them several times

• Timing the presentation segments

• Walking through the polls, layouts, chats, and annotation tools as I practice the presentation, so I have a full kinesthetic understanding of the flow

• Delivering a practice run to a small audience (particularly if it’s a new program)

• Conducting a “dry run” the day before the program delivery to test the technical elements

If you work in a busy environment with multiple competing priorities, this level of preparation may seem like a luxury. However, I encourage you to book the preparation time on your calendar, rather than attempt to train a program on the fly. I’ve seen trainers and speakers do that, and it’s not pretty!

Having just witnessed the greatness of athletes competing in the Olympics, I’m struck by the level of practice and preparation each of them brought to their events. Nobody wings it at the Olympics!