Try Feedback Module Preview

HR TRY ANGLE: 4

“Failure is never fatal. Success is never final.”anon [5]

HR TRY ANGLESThe premise of HR Try Angles is practical angles that you can try, to manage your employees better. The material explains how human resources skills can positively impact your business, and helps you to implement essential human resources concepts and manage them effectively.

The format is organised in ten ‘angles’ that each relate to a different human resources concept. Each contains:

Valuable information and practical processes

Insights from Avril Henry throughout each angle based on her extensive Human Resources experience

Templates to put this concept into action

Use the angles to enhance your personal skill-set, or to develop others in several different ways:

If you are interested in an entire concept, turn to the first page to guide you through the concept in a logical and sequential flow, or,

If you already know and are focused on a specific skill that you want to develop, turn to the page that addresses that concept and read the suggestions provided

Use, or tailor the checklists, forms, and templates to fit your own situation

avriL Henry

Over the last five years, Avril has delivered over 550 Keynote Addresses to over 50,000 people in Australia, New Zealand and Asia to different companies, industries and government departments.

From 1996 – 2003, Avril held HR Director roles at DMR Consulting Group, Merrill Lynch and Clayton Utz, covering the Asia Pacific region with responsibility for developing and implementing business related HR strategies, with a focus on leadership development, people management strategies, cultural change and integration.

In 2006, Avril won the prestigious Lifetime Achievement in HR Award at the Australian Human Resources Awards after being one of three finalists in the 2005 and 2004 Awards; and in 2002, was one of the five finalists in the Australian HR Awards for Best HR Director. In 2005 Avril was a finalist in the Sydney Business Review Business Woman of the Year. In 2008, Avril Henry Pty Limited was a finalist in the City of Sydney 2008 Business Awards in the Category Professional Services.

Avril is the author of “Leadership Revelations: An Australian Perspective”, released in 2005, “The Who What When and Y of Generation Why?” released in 2006. In 2007 she was profiled in the book “Secrets Exposed of Inspiring Leaders”, as one of Australia’s most inspiring female leaders. She also released “Inspiring Tomorrow’s Leaders Today: Breaking Down Generational Barriers at Work” in 2007.

CONTENTS 4 WHY TRY FEEdbACk?

5 INTROdUCTION

6 GIvING FEEdbACk EFFECTIvELY

8 HANdLING dIFFICULT OR SENSITIvE SITUATIONS

8 TImING

9 THE FEEdbACk TRAp

9 SpOTLIGHT ON THE GENERATIONS

10 mASTERING FEEdbACk

11 WHEN FEEdbACk dOESN’T WORk

12 pULLING IT ALL TOGETHER

TEmpLATES/CHECkLISTS

14 CASE STUdY

16 RECEIvING FEEdbACk TIpS

17 FEEdbACk qUICk CARd

18 REFLECTION

19 WORkSHEET

4 ANGLE 4: TRY FEEDBACK www.avrilhenry.com.au

WHY TRY FEEdbACk?By applying these concepts, your efforts can have a positive outcome on your business and employees, or reduce the risk of negative results:

Boost on-the-job performance of your employees, leading to increased results

Turn around unproductive behaviour

Clarify what you expect of your employees, making it easier for them to exceed expectations

Change bad habits that cost money

Eliminate unnecessary work and increase engagement by creating a safe environment to learn from mistakes

CONSISTENT, EFFECTIvE

FEEdbACk CAN:

Let unproductive behaviour continue unaddressed

Lead to employees not being clear on what is expected of them, making it harder for them to deliver results

Create an environment where mistakes re-occur

Let bad habits that cost money continue


INCONSISTENT OR INEFFECTIvE

FEEdbACk CAN:

www.avrilhenry.com.au ANGLE 4: TRY FEEDBACK 5

INTROdUCTIONThere is a difference between being effective at feedback and using feedback as an advantage, in the same way that there is a difference between being a cook and being a chef. One can perform a skill (in this case, making meals), in some cases very well, and the other is a master whose ability to use the skill brings in business. In other words, masters give and receive feedback differently.

Try Feedback introduces you to the basic concepts of feedback, as well as the insights and practical techniques you will need to become a master and get results.

Don’t confuse positive feedback

with compliments. Praise feels good to give and to receive, but is too

general to maintain or increase employees’ performance in

specific ways

WHAT IS FEEdbACk?Feedback has two purposes and is essential for:

Providing recognition for individual efforts or progress, which can motivate employees to continue to meet or exceed performance expectations (positive feedback)

Helping employees determine how to improve or correct performance (constructive feedback) [1]

You may have heard the words ‘negative feedback’. It is an old fashioned idea that has had its time, and now is replaced with ‘constructive feedback’. Constructive feedback will result in a better outcome for you, your employees, and your business, than merely pointing out the negative can achieve.

GIvING FEEdbACk EFFECTIvELYDelivering positive feedback effectively means praising the specific action the employee took and then stating the positive effect the action had on the business.

Feedback can be verbal, written, and non-verbal. Anyone who thinks they are ‘holding it in’ is deluding only themselves. Every raised brow, frown, or tense tone of voice is feedback.

A step-by-step process to deliver feedback in a constructive way:

1 Ask the employee how he/she feels the performance was delivered

2 Talk about what you feel was done well

3 Focus on issues – not on the individual or his/her personality. Do not place blame

4 Re-phrase if the employee denies or is defensive about feedback

5 Maintain eye contact, speak with little emotion and don’t be over judgmental. Control your voice – be mindful of your non-verbal impact

6 Ask how the actions occurred and how they can be prevented in future

7 Suggest specific improvement actions if the employee does not. Tell your employee the outcomes you want to see vs. focusing on perceptions

8 Recognise progress and improved behaviour [1]

Specific positive feedback is more likely to increase

the amount an employee performs the specific

behaviour/action

FEEdbACk qUICk CARd


Whether positive or constructive

feedback, always:Describe the Situation (who, what and when)

Describe the Behaviour (what the person did)Describe the Effect

(on you, on others and on the business)

“You’re doing well. Keep it up.” “I’d like you to show more responsibility in your work.”

“Your hard work on the pitch sealed the contract for us. Excellent result.”

“I’d like you to voice your ideas more in our weekly group meeting on Mondays. You have ideas that you share with me directly, and I’m confident the group will see value in them as well. We can benefit the business more if we share our ideas as a team and work together.”

“The way you handled that

difficult customer on the telephone just

now was terrific, he said he would give us

repeat business at the end. That’s thanks to your

efforts.”

“I overheard the way you handled that difficult customer and I’m pleased you saved the sale. In future, can you please follow up with me after you authorise special payments for unique situations. Reason is, we need to account for them differently in the books and the tax accounting.”

SUmmIT

GROUNd zERO

bASE CAmp

pOSITIvE

pOSITIvE

pOSITIvE CONS- TRUCTIvE

CONSTRUCTIvE

CONSTRUCTIvE

mOUNTAIN Feedback is hard. The skill of being able to deliver honest, constructive feedback that helps employees improve their performance is akin to climbing a mountain – it takes skill, practice, preparation and fitness – but to reach the peak is a real accomplishment with many benefits.



HANdLING dIFFICULT OR SENSITIvE SITUATIONSImagine yourself in your employee’s ‘shoes’

How would you feel and react?

Express your desire for a mutually acceptable resolution

Build bridges – review things you agree on before dealing with points of disagreement

Confront conflict and discuss openly

Focus on long-term goals or benefits

Allow employees to vent anger and express frustration and disappointment, provided that this remains within reasonable boundaries and is not threatening to you or any other person

Practice active listening to indicate you are ‘hearing’ and understanding of the employee’s perspective

Stress that the disagreement is a conflict on issues, not personalities

Detect ‘unspoken’ causes or issues

Aim for a win-win situation

Focus on behaviour that can be changed [1]

The critical issue when giving feedback is to ensure that you treat the other person well. Generally, people are more concerned with how they are treated than in outcomes. If you feel uncomfortable in giving anything other than positive feedback, avoid the temptation to rush giving the feedback or being defensive about it.[6

]

TImINGTiming is a critical issue in the effective delivery of feedback. First, make a decision about when to give feedback:

On the spot is best used with positive feedback

Privately, after the moment has passed is best when dealing with constructive feedback

Wait to provide feedback in person, not over the phone/email

Never when you are angry or preoccupied

REFLECTION

If you tell someone what

you’re going to change, they will remember, remind

you, and tell you if you’re not changing

You may be worried

about creating a tense work relationship, an employee

reacting badly, or losing an employee and having to replace them – but avoiding honest,

constructive feedback is not the solution; it only creates an unspoken situation that makes things worse

A healthy attitude to

receiving feedback – acknowledges the message, and takes

responsibility – whether or not you agree with the message


THE FEEdbACk TRApYou have fallen into the feedback trap if you assume that when people get feedback, they change. Before change can happen, people have an initial reaction to feedback that falls into one of two types:

UNHEALTHY HEALTHY

Can range from complete acceptance and upset (“You’re right, I’m terrible!”) to defensiveness or justification (“It’s not that I’m unwilling to change, but I just don’t see it that way. Here’s why…”). Some employees may even go as far as seeking out others in the workplace who agree with their point of view, or questioning the credibility of the person who gave them feedback. The key is to listen intently, try to understand reactions and change your feedback approach to different employees when you see a reaction that is not healthy.

No matter how much experience you have, criticism stings and being open minded is far easier said than done. Sometimes the truth is hard to hear, and sometimes new ideas are hard to put into practice, but feedback is not a punishment.

Best way to respond:

Appreciate the feedback, “Thank you for the feedback”

Acknowledge, “I received it”

Commit to action and tell them “Here’s what I intend to do about it”

SpOTLIGHT ON THE GENERATIONS The three generations who make up more than 90% of the workforce are:

The Baby Boomers (Born 1946 – 1964)

Generation X (Born 1965 – 1979)

Generation Y (Born 1980 – 1995)

Many traditional managers, like Baby Boomers, do not like giving feedback, and are even more uncomfortable receiving feedback on their own performance from their subordinates. They do not like giving feedback on poor performance because it “upsets people”. At the other end of the feedback scale, we find leaders promoting the “tall poppy” syndrome; that is “we can’t tell people when they are doing a good job, otherwise they might get overly confident”. So employees are left with no feedback at all! This is unacceptable to Generations X and Y, who not only expect feedback, but will demand it. They want to know when they are doing well so they can continue to do it. They also want to know when they are not doing well, what they need to do to improve, and what their manager is willing to do to help them improve. Together with leadership and challenging work, regular, constructive feedback is one of the top three motivators for both Generations X and Y at work. [3]

In a research report on Generation Y (which covered participants from more than 50 different backgrounds) titled “the who, what, when, and y of Generation why”, Generation Y survey participants were asked to think about the best team leader or manager they had worked for, and what it was that made them such a good manager. Overwhelmingly, the majority of the participants said that what made him/her the best manager or leader was his/her ability to listen to staff. This was closely followed by managers who treat all people with respect and as equals, and do not regard themselves as “superior” to the people who they were responsible for managing. [2]

Workplaces are made up of

people from different generations, who have

different attitudes to feedback

RECEIvING FEEdbACk TIpS


mASTERING FEEdbACkProviding feedback effectively requires discipline and focus, and is hard at first. With practice, the techniques you have learned will help you separate any personal emotion from the message and increase the impact when you give feedback (both positive and constructive).

Mastery is when you seek out and gather feedback constantly, and learn to understand it and respond to it.

GIvING FEEdbACk EFFECTIvELY

mASTER NOvICE

dESCRIbES SITUATION, bEHAvIOUR, ANd EFFECT

“I’m really happy that you solved that debit issue and did it before month-end; it saved hours of overtime in accounting.”

“You’re doing a good job. Keep it up.”

CLARIFIES THE RESULT YOU WOULd pREFER (CONSTRUCTIvE FEEdbACk)

“You’ve missed the last two deadlines. Our shipping contract has a 24 hour pickup schedule, so when deadlines are missed by us, even by 30 minutes, the delivery time to the client’s door blows out by 1-2 days. Can you tell me, what prevented them being met on those two occasions so it can be prevented?”

“You’ve missed the last two deadlines. What’s going on?”

RECEIvING FEEdbACk

mASTER NOvICE

ACkNOWLEdGE “Thanks for the feedback. I’m going to think about what you said and what I can do differently.”

Appears to hear the feedback, then either talks about the feedback with others, stews on the way it made him/her feel, or becomes angry

ASk qUESTIONS TO dIG FOR dETAIL

“Can I just ask you to give me an example of what you would have expected from me in that situation? I’d like to think about that and work it into how I operate.”

Accepts the feedback at face value, without understanding what part of the message to act on

REFLECT ANd ACT ON THE FEEdbACk

Asks themselves:

What part of this message have I heard before?

How is the person’s view of me different from my intentions, and what was it I did (or didn’t do) that made them think this about me?

Are there elements of truth to what he/she is saying?

Returns to the person who gave them feedback, and explains what they are going to do in response to the message they heard

Takes the wrong action, or no action as a result of listening to the feedback message

You have to look for

feedback – then do something with it


A final illustration of mastery. Ever seen an elite athlete who had no coach? In the world of professional and Olympic sports, if elite athletes didn’t get feedback from their coaches, they would find it virtually impossible to improve their performance and win competitions and medals.

Think of yourself as coaching an elite athlete. You both have the same goal – to win. In order to win, the sportsperson and coach must both:

Talk about what the athlete employee can do better

Listen to the athlete’s (employee’s) concerns – and address those things

Ask them what they believe is preventing them from their personal best?

Be clear and honest about things they should stop doing in order to get better performance

Help them to start doing things they should be doing to be at peak performance

Look for signs where coaching is not working – not changing things – and deliver feedback in a new way

Support each other by acknowledging that it is competitive out there and changing/improving is hard work

WHEN FEEdbACk dOESN’T WORkIn a situation where regular, specific feedback is not producing the performance you and your employee have agreed on, you may have a performance issue that requires a more serious process. Try Angle 9 describes the process when feedback has been delivered correctly, given every chance, but doesn’t result in positive change.


SITUATION, bEHAvIOUR, ANd EFFECT ON THE

bUSINESS

When a feedback statement includes all three elements, you have the highest likelihood of it being effective and producing change

Feedback that specifies the situation and behaviour is good, but is not as reinforcing as linking it to the business result or effect

CHOOSING THE TImE FOR GIvING FEEdbACk

On the spot, if positive

In private, if constructive

As soon as practical after the situation

In the heat of the moment

In public if constructive

Too late for the employee to remember the situation

REACTIONS TO FEEdbACk

Acknowledges feedback was given, separate emotion from message, seek details, commit to action

Accept at face value and overreact (“This is a disaster”, “I’m going to get fired”)

Delve into minutia looking for angles to justify or defend your actions

NON vERbAL EFFECTS

Considers the sensitivity of the employee

Understands that for some employees a “look” or a tone of voice may be all it takes to send an unintentional message

Considers only the words spoken as feedback

dISCIpLINE

Phrases feedback including the behaviour you are recognising, why it is important, and how it affected the business

Gives broad compliments

Criticises prematurely or without facts

pULLING IT ALL TOGETHER


REFERENCES

[1] “Giving Feedback Workshop” (2008), Avril Henry, AH Revelations Pty. Ltd.[2] “The Who, What, and Y of Generation Why?”(2006), Avril Henry, AH Revelations Pty. Ltd.[3] “Breaking Down Generational Barriers at Work” (2007), Avril Henry, Messenger Publishing[4] “Giving Feedback across Generations is Simply Good Leadership”, Avril Henry, May 2008, HR Matters Magazine[5] Quote from www.thinkexist.com, accessed May 2009[6] “Devine Law at work” (2009), Devine, E.

CHEAT SHEET pG

Don’t confuse positive feedback with compliments. Praise feels good, but is too general to increase or maintain an employee’s performance in specific ways 5

Specific positive feedback is more likely to increase the amount an employee performs the specific behaviour/action 6

Giving feedback effectively always:

Describes the Situation ( who, what and when)

Describes the Behaviour (what the person did)

Describes the Effect (on you, on others, and on the business) [1]

7

You may be worried about creating a tense work relationship, an employee reacting badly, or losing an employee and having to replace them – but avoiding honest, constructive feedback is not the solution; it creates an unspoken situation that makes things worse

8

A healthy attitude to receiving feedback – acknowledges the message, and takes responsibility – whether or not you agree with the message 8

If you tell someone what you’re going to change they will remember, remind you, and tell you if you’re not changing 8

Workplaces are made up of people from different generations, who have different attitudes to feedback 9

You have to look for feedback – then do something with it 10


CASE STUdY

WhatWouldYoudo?

A local business owner and manager (Kyle), asked his employee (Jackie) to prepare and submit the monthly supply order for the first time, then complained about mistakes to another employee (Sally). “Do you know how long it took me to re-do the supply order, and how much it cost to get the things she forgot to order flown in by the time we opened this morning? She can’t do anything right.” complains Kyle. Sally says “Does Jackie know you had to re-do the whole thing, that she made mistakes?”. “No”, Kyle replies, “And I am not going to tell her. It’s the first and last time she will ever be asked to do the supply order. Back to sales from now on.” Sally isn’t comfortable being Kyle’s confidante on Jackie’s ordering mistakes, and she hasn’t heard Kyle mention any other shortcomings about Jackie’s work performance before. She asks, “Isn’t it hard to fix it if Jackie doesn’t know what she did wrong? Shouldn’t she have a chance to make it right?” Sally asks. “Look Sally,” Kyle explains, “I am really busy, and we all have a lot to get through. Please don’t say anything to Jackie about this. She is too sensitive anyway. I’ve fixed it now so there’s no point rocking the boat”. Sally decides to take a chance and be courageous, despite feeling nervous about her own job. She takes a big risk and issues Kyle an ultimatum. “Kyle, you can’t just use me as your venting post and leave Jackie completely unaware that the whole order needed to be redone. If you don’t talk with her honestly about it and give her a chance to tell you her side of the story, then I will tell her about our conversation when we are on shift together on Saturday. It’s up to you.”

take5minutesandjotdoWn,iFYouWereinkYle’sshoes,WhatYouWoulddonext…


ansWer

By avoiding feedback altogether and limiting Jackie’s responsibilities in the future, Kyle is ignoring the fact that people learn by making mistakes – generally when employees have the opportunity to fix a mistake, they are less likely to repeat it. It was easy for Kyle to pinpoint what was wrong with what Jackie had done, however he either did not have the skills or was uncomfortable communicating the feedback in a constructive way, especially with the knowledge that Jackie tends to be sensitive. It is likely that Jackie has sensed something is wrong already. How you deliver feedback in a situation like this can mean the difference between an employee whose performance gets worse and one whose performance gets better. It is worth Kyle taking the time to give Jackie honest and constructive feedback on what went wrong with the order and the effect it had on the business, and help her respond to it. Feedback lets employees know where they stand, that their work is noticed, and when needed, it addresses issues to achieve a different outcome.

Kyle’s reaction to Jackie’s attempt at the supply order should remain between the two of them, and Kyle should address this with Jackie. Keeping constructive feedback private is respectful. By telling Sally about the order, Kyle has unintentionally had a negative effect on the other employees as well. If all the employees in Kyle’s business hear about this situation and become fearful of what will happen to them if they try something new and make a mistake, they won’t be able to get the best results, and won’t try new things.

WhatkYlecandonext:

1 Privately, ask Jackie to sit down and talk to her about the order.

2 Ask Jackie how she feels the order was done. Listen to her response, as it may contain issues of which Kyle wasn’t aware.

3 Talk about what he felt was done well – that it was done on time and Jackie tried to handle it for the first time.

4 Explain to Jackie that there were errors that affected the business by making a re-do necessary and extra cost to rush order the items. Although it is not possible for Jackie to get involved and fix it now, she needs to be aware of the impact.

5 Jackie may be stunned and sensitive about the feedback – do not place blame, explain that part of doing things for the first time means that you need to feel comfortable to ask for help or double check, even if you feel you are doing everything right.

6 Maintain eye contact, speak with little emotion and don’t be over judgmental. Control his voice – be mindful of his non-verbal impact.

7 Suggest that Jackie checks in as a habit when doing new tasks – that he is open to this, and that he wants to see Jackie perform well and keep taking on new things with more responsibility.

8 In the early stages after giving the feedback, recognise Jackie’s progress.


pOSITIvE FEEdbACk

It’s easy to receive positive feedback:

Say thank you, acknowledge it

Do the thing that got the positive feedback again (and again and again!)

Acknowledge and repeat

pOORLY dELIvEREd FEEdbACk

How do you receive feedback that is not phrased in a constructive way, or not delivered well? How should you respond to feedback when what you really want to do is get angry or defend yourself until the person gives up and takes back their feedback?

Separate the way the person gave feedback, and your emotion, from the actual message they are trying to give.

Show that you are trying to understand what was said. If a boss says, “I don’t know what you are working on. You need to do a better job of communicating with me.” Although your gut reaction might be “I am working hard, getting through a lot. You are never available to update!” the boss may think you are not taking in the feedback. Instead, say it back a different way, “You want to be updated more often on what I’m working on.”

As much as feedback delivered poorly stings, only by asking for details will you know what the real problem is. If you get defensive or angry, information that you need to know to fix the problem is not likely to be shared, or worse, it could descend into an argument. Asking questions like “What would you like more communication about?” or, “How will I know if I am communicating enough, what signs should I look for from you?” will take the conversation to a more practical level, where you can find out how often and which ways the boss expects to get updates.

It’s the message that’s important

Acknowledge the feedback

Ask questions to dig for details

NO FEEdbACk Ways to draw out feedback of someone who is reluctant to give it to you:

If you aren’t getting enough direction when first asked to do a task, have some questions ready: “What key things are most important to you on this?”, “ When would you like to see my progress?”

In response to “You’re doing fine,” or, “I don’t have time,” when you ask for feedback, say, “I only need 20 minutes and I want to ask you about a few specific things. When do you have time?” This usually leads to feedback.

Make a point to check-in on how things went at a time that is quiet. If done regularly, your check-ins can become a safe place to talk about issues before they become serious.

Find out what’s wrong, so you can fix it

RECEIvING FEEdbACk TIpS


STEp HOW SCRIpT

dESCRIbE THE SITUATION (who, what and when)

dESCRIbE THE bEHAvIOUR (what the person did)

dESCRIbE THE EFFECT (on you, on others, and on the business) [1]

1 Ask the employee how he/she feels the performance was delivered

2 Talk about what you feel was done well

3 Focus on issues that could have been better – not on the individual or his/her personality. Do not place blame

dISCUSS 4 Re-phrase if employee denies or is defensive about feedback

5 Maintain eye contact, speak with little emotion and don’t be over judgmental. Control your voice – be mindful of your non-verbal impact

6 Ask how actions occurred and how they can be prevented in future

OUTCOmES REqUIREd 7 Suggest specific improvement actions if the employee does not. Tell your employee the outcomes you want to see vs. focusing on perceptions

FOLLOW Up 8 Recognise progress and improved behaviour [1]

FEEdbACk qUICk CARd

Giving constructive feedback and holding employees accountable for change is one of the most challenging tasks of a manager/supervisor. This guide will help plan your conversation when you need to provide constructive feedback, to follow your own script.


REFLECTION

Now is the time to put this booklet down and take a break. Enjoy a hot drink and simply allow your mind to wander. Bring a notepad to write down any thoughts that pop into your mind during your break; they could be the seeds of important new ideas.

A personal revelation may or may not come to you immediately, but you have begun the process of applying this HR concept to your situation.

If you find yourself stuck, ask these questions of yourself:

1 Am I so focused on what my employees aren’t doing, that I’m forgetting to teach them how they can do the good things they do more, or even better?

2 Am I dwelling on a personal negative feedback experience I have had in the past, that I need to let go of?

3 Do I say things to my employees like “You always….” or “You never….” without being specific about what I want to see instead?

4 Do I punish mistakes or do I recognise them as a way people learn?

5 Have I jumped to conclusions, or viewed some employees as always doing everything right and others as not doing anything right?


WORkSHEET

START WHAT dId YOU LEARN IN THIS TRY ANGLE?

WHAT ACTION

WILL YOU TAkE NOW

THAT YOU HAvE REAd THIS TRY

ANGLE?

WHAT INSpIREd YOU IN THIS TRY ANGLE?

1

2

3

www.avrilhenry.com.au

CONTACTS

Suite 4.13, LeveL 4, 55 miLLer Street, pyrmont nSw 2009 auStraLia

P: +61 2 9660 2400 F: +61 2 9660 2411

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