Whether we like to admit it or not, feedback has been a critical part of business management for as long as people have worked. Considering it’s how we learned the basics of living, real-time feedback is in our very nature (how did you learn to tie your shoes, for instance?) Formal or casual, the fact remains: there was a time you didn’t know what you were doing, someone trained you and corrected the mistakes when it was needed. Thankfully, many teams are beginning to adopt the frequent feedback process within their own organizations, and teams are reaping the rewards of daily/weekly/monthly growth.
If your team has adopted real-time feedback and it’s just not working the way you hoped it would, then take a look at these common feedback mistakes and how to correct them before it affects employee retention and engagement.
Feedback Mishap: Your Feedback Communication Techniques Could Use a Little Work.
Many employers are in survival mode with the world’s recent and ever-changing job market. Every day new workforce technologies and employee engagement studies emerge, enlightening us on current processes to keep the workforce happy and engaged; unfortunately this isn’t working. One thing that can be changed with little-to-no-risk, however, is how members of an organization communicate.
Social: One thing that can be changed with little to no-risk is how members of an organization communicate.
Did you know communication is the root of some of the most important reasons people are dissatisfied with their job? In fact, a 2014 poll conducted by About.com revealed that 64% of dissatisfied workers cite communication failures as the reason for their unhappiness at work. So, how can the members of an organization, whether in leadership roles or as a team member, improve their team communication skills?
Check out these 4 Ways to Improve Your Communication Skills.
Feedback Mishap: You Aren’t Staying Curious and Asking Your Team Questions.
You’ve probably met small kids in your life who have a curiosity which can not be quenched, whose imaginations are firing on all cylinders. Their young minds thirst for knowledge, and the result is questions… A LOT of questions. At that young stage of life, they may not know much, but they are learning at an amazing rate, devouring every scrap of knowledge, every answer they can find to the mass of questions floating around their heads. In order for children to learn, they ask questions about everything.
Managers should take a cue from these kids. Questions are fundamental to continued learning and growth, no matter the stage of life. For leaders who want successful companies and satisfied employees, feedback is key, and the right questions can lead to honest feedback.
Check out the Questions to Ask Your Team Every Month to up your curiosity.
Feedback Mishap: You Rely On Technology And Forget Authenticity
At iRevü, we talk a lot about how to use technology to lead and manage people. We believe strongly in the power of real-time feedback and just how important it is to employees and managers to have a tool that both reminds leaders to give frequent feedback, but also helps those managers to do so in ways that don’t eat up all their time. While we still stand behind those claims and the technology that we provide, we have to admit, acquiring solid technology does not make a solid management system.
Technology is merely a tool and when it comes to managing a team, leaders will be required to do far more than input data within a system. Providing successful and efficient microfeedback is so much more than frequent critiques and praises – and that’s where human managers come in…
Social: Technology is a tool and when it comes to managing, leaders must do more than input data
Read Microfeedback: Beyond Technology to learn what it takes to shake the habit.
Feedback Mishap: You Haven’t Tried It Yet Or You Use It Without Any Formal Reviews.
One would think the annual performance review killed somebody from the way it’s being abandoned by corporate America. From the time it takes up, to its usefulness as a performance management tool, to the stress it can cause employees, the verdict is in. People HATE annual performance reviews. But the systems they use to manage them aren’t much better. Only 14% of organizations are happy with their performance management system.
Read The Annual Performance Review is Extinct to learn more about the balance.
Considering real-time performance management? Take a test run with iRevü’s employee performance software.