“It’s awful to have to wait for my performance review to know how I’m doing!”
Have you ever worked in an organisation where avoiding punishment became your main motivation? Many of us have had that experience.
Don’t push that same fate onto your team! Give instant feedback.
Instant feedback means baby steps
Take small steps and start with recognising people for things they do approximately right. Don’t wait for them to do things perfectly, they might never copy your personal standards. But they will be able to set their own, possibly higher standards, if you start them off on the right foot.
Think about it: do you expect a toddler to walk perfectly with their first steps?
Fact: Punishment doesn’t work when you are learning.
Why instant feedback works so well
Besides having clear goals, it is a lot easier for people to do well when they receive crystal-clear feedback on how they are doing.
Recognise people soon after they do something right, to keep them motivated. If they don’t know they are on the right path, they might give up.
Regular recognition builds confidence which is important to stay innovative and ahead of the game.
It will also save you time. Once your people become more capable, they will solve more problems.
How to give instant feedback
1. Recognise people as soon as they do something approximately right.
2. Be specific in letting them know what they did right.
3. Tell people how good you feel about what they did and how it helps the business. Help them see the bigger picture.
4. Make it clear you have confidence in them and support their success.
Why feedback is so important
Here are some of my favourite comments from a recent LinkedIn post about feedback:
“Work burnout can be caused by many factors, including long working hours. However, based on many social audit interviews I can conclude that people really suffer when they are not appreciated. They can work hard and long hours, understand that the company might be facing difficult times, that pay rise might not be an option but what I heard hundreds of times was that they really wanted to hear ‘Thanks, good job!’.”
“People like being proud of their work. One might think: ‘Oh, it is just a simple job, something like printing or assembly…’. But even among unskilled production workers you can find people who are truly proud of the results of their daily work. I do not know why we only appreciate people for passing exams, reaching KPIs or finding new clients. Why not appreciate a single parent or a person in a depression crisis for being on time every day? Maybe that person does not bring a new contract, but a new contract would also not be delivered without her or him. Anyway, 2021 is a good year to work on appreciation.”
“Appreciation is the magic touch that can help to restore energy and motivation levels to bring prosperity and progress to any company.”
To learn more about ditching the annual appraisal and giving instant feedback, join my next online course.