THE CHALLENGE
Feedback has been a hot topic in management for decades. In more recent times however, the focus has intensified, with many organisations strengthening the push for managers to create a “feedback culture.” With good intent, the common expectations from HR departments are that managers continually engage in performance conversations; that the conversations are candid and direct (so as to minimise miscommunication), and focused on what needs to be improved to address performance gaps. While there is usually a focus on also encouraging “balanced feedback”, from our experience people on the receiving end of the feedback, often experience it negatively, rendering the feedback ineffective.
While managers ponder questions such as “Who do I need to give feedback to? How should I give and receive it? How often? How much and using which new app or platform? How honest and frank should it be?” the underlying assumption is that feedback is always effective. However, we when we think about the core reason for giving people feedback in the first place - to help them do better - the more appropriate question to consider should be, “What can I do to help each member of my team get better, flourish and achieve even more.”
OUR BELIEF
We believe training that simply focuses on helping people to develop skills based on the traditional practices of giving and receiving feedback, is not the most effective way of improving the performance of others. Most existing approaches to developing the skills of feedback at work are implicitly limited as they fail to address the following facts:-
Humans are fundamentally unreliable and inaccurate assessors of others.
Neuroscience shows that everyone’s brain grows most where it is strongest. In other words, focusing on people’s strengths is more effective than weakness or gaps.
Our brains respond to criticism as a threat and then limits our ability to learning.
Exceptional performance is unique to every individual.
If managers continue to focus their attention on other people’s gaps in performance and provide feedback that tells people how to avoid it, we will create mediocre organisations awash with acceptable, rather than extraordinary performance. We therefore advocate taking an evidence based approach that deals with these challenges, to help managers develop practices that are most effective in supporting others to thrive and excel at work.
Understand the neurobiology of feedback and the business case for creating a culture of positive feedback
Gain greater awareness of the impact of their core beliefs and values on how well they are able to provide effective feedback
Identify different opportunities to provide recognition and praise for their employees
Develop strategies to be able to provide recognition and feedback that is meaningful and helps others to get better at what they do
Practice giving positive feedback during role plays
our approach
During the session, participants will have their existing notions of feedback challenged with robust research that shows the steps that need to be taken to help others to perform at their best.
Participants are helped to develop the mindset and behaviour to effectively ask, receive and give feedback. Specifically they are given the opportunity to:
your outcomes
Participants will walk away with:
A mindset shift to understand the how their mindset may be helping or hindering their ability to increase their employee’s engagement through conversations that provide recognition and positive reinforcement.
A behaviour shift to be able to apply tools and techniques that assist them to notice more opportunities to provide praise and recognition and to structure positive feedback conversations so that they create the desired impact.
Who will benefit
People who manage, lead or support others to improve and sustain performance.