Savvy SupervisionAchieving results through individualized

feedback

Sarah GremerResident DirectorUniversity of Washington

“My Employee is Impossible!”

Fear of feedback Importance of feedback Common mistakes Feedback models Application Closing and questions

Overview of Presentation

FeedbackWhat is it and why is it so hard to give?

Feedback is “the return of information about the result of a process or activity; an evaluative response.”

Other terms for feedback:◦ Coaching◦ Evaluation◦ Constructive criticism◦ Performance review

(Answers.com)

What is Feedback?

Why do supervisors avoid giving feedback?

◦ Fear of being liked◦ Fear of becoming too emotional◦ Anxious about the responses they may get (tears,

anger)◦ Giving feedback can remind people of times in

their past◦ Fear of retaliation◦ Lack of having a strategy for the conversation

(Strober and Jackman, 2004)

The Fear of Feedback

The Importance of Feedback

Why should I care about giving feedback?

Why should supervisors embrace giving feedback?◦ Feedback can reduce confusion and assumptions◦ Feedback can improve productivity, quality of work,

and effectiveness◦ Feedback can help maintain high performing

employees, and help low performing employees improve

◦ Motivation and initiative is increased◦ Problems can be addressed before they have the

chance to start

(University of New Hampshire Human Resources)

The Importance of Feedback

Arthur Chickering’s 7 vectors of student development

Vector 5: Establishing Identity

Receiving feedback is crucial to be able to establish identity.

The Importance of Feedback

Common Feedback Mistakes

Why should I change?

Speaking out only when things are wrong.

◦ Feedback can be both positive and negative (constructive)

◦ Both kinds of feedback should be given on a regular basis

◦ If feedback is only positive or only negative, it can give the employee a lopsided view of their performance

Common feedback mistakes(Lindenberger, 2005)

Common feedback mistakes(Lindenberger, 2005) Drive-by praise without specifics.

◦ Instead of “Good job today!”◦ Try “Good job matching our son’s shirt to his

pants and socks. I really appreciate it and would love to see you do that again. Thank you!”

Waiting until performance or behavior is substantially below expectations before acting on it.

◦ “Do nothing” philosophy

◦ “Maybe it will just go away if I ignore it…”

◦ Reality: It won’t go away, it will probably get worse.

Common Feedback Mistakes(Lindenberger, 2005)

Giving positive or negative feedback long after an event has occurred and/or lumping all feedback into a structured performance review.

◦ This is one of the most common feedback mistakes supervisors make

◦ The employee will leave the conversation not knowing what they should focus on and feeling overwhelmed

◦ Many times the message is lost and performance does not improve

Common Feedback Mistakes(Lindenberger, 2005)

Not taking responsibility for your thoughts, feelings, and reactions.

◦ You may have contributed in some way to the employees performance

◦ Acknowledge it, and then refocus on your employee◦ Do not make the conversation about you or your

feelings◦ If you have emotions about the situation, process

them before the conversation so they do not interfere with the feedback you are trying to deliver

Common Feedback Mistakes(Lindenberger, 2005)

Giving feedback through email or over the telephone.

◦ Negative feedback needs to be delivered in person so that you can make sure your message is heard

◦ Email and telephone feedback can often be misunderstood and the message you want to share is lost

Common Feedback Mistakes(Lindenberger, 2005)

Giving negative feedback in public.

Common F eedback Mistakes(Lindenberger, 2005)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4EARItfoG4

Giving negative feedback with no suggestions/

Discussion on improving performance

Common Feedback Mistakes(Lindenberger, 2005)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEc9W2-NPVs

Using the sandwich technique to deliver negative feedback.

◦ The sandwich technique is putting negative feedback in between two statements of positive feedback

◦ This does not work because often the message gets lost and the employee leaves confused about if they have done a good job or if they need to improve

◦ The positive feedback can often seem phony when paired with the negative feedback as often the negative feedback is all the employee hears

Common Feedback Mistakes(Lindenberger, 2005)

Not giving feedback on a constant basis and not following up after giving feedback to an employee.

Common Feedback Mistakes(Lindenberger, 2005)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdp4sPviV74

Feedback Models for Success

How do I give feedback?

The 3 R’s of feedback◦Regularly◦Right away◦As a Remedy, to change and reinforce

behavior

◦ The more you initiate feedback conversations, the more skilled and comfortable you become. Feedback should not be just a single conversation or limited to annual performance reviews but instead a regular process that everyone feels comfortable with because it happens routinely

Feedback models for success(Collins and Richie, 2005)

Feedback models for success(Collins and Richie, 2005)

The BISA model◦ B = Behavior. Identify the specific behavior you

observed or what the person said. Facts are indisputable.

◦ I = Impact. Communicate the impact the behavior had on the people present, including you.

◦ S= Silence. Pause for a moment to let the person process the information and respond.

◦ A = Alternatives. Ask the person if she has ideas about what she could have done more effectively. Be ready to offer your own suggestions.

Behavior Impact Silence Alternatives

At last night’s meeting, I noticed that you spoke much more than any of the other staff members and didn’t allow time for anyone else to share their ideas.

Everyone had spent time comingup with ideas and I felt disappointedbecause we didn’t get tohear the others’ perspectives andmight have lost out on valuableideas. Because they weren’t askedto contribute, their expressionsshowed that they thought themeeting was a waste of time.

Most people are uncomfortablewith silence, but if you just rushahead, the person doesn’t haveenough time to process whatyou’ve said and have time toformulate responses and ideas.

Ask the person if she could thinkof alternative ways she could havehandled her allotted meetingtime. Be ready to give the personsome of your own suggestions.

Feedback models for success(Collins and Richie, 2005)

ApplicationLet’s fix some unsuccessful conversations…

What did the supervisor do well?

What mistakes did they make?

How would you have directed the conversation so that it has a better outcome?

Office Space

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2ZyF8Ufz4Q&feature=related

What did the supervisor do well?

What mistakes did they make?

How would you have directed the conversation so that it has a better outcome?

The Devil Wears Prada

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MU7fMmuD34

What did the supervisor do well?

What mistakes did they make?

How would you have directed the conversation so that it has a better outcome?

30 Rock

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkdRfbN6eew

So What Did We Learn? Feedback is important Giving feedback can be nerve-wracking, but

the benefits of giving feedback far outweigh the cost

You can fix common feedback mistakes using simple easy to remember feedback models

You are doing a better job than many characters on television and in the movies!

By giving great feedback and not giving up, you can inspire greatness!

Questions? Comments Thank you for coming!

Closing