Strategic Discipline Blog

Do you recognize the value in collecting employee feedback?

If not please go back and read the blogs: Why Positive Reinforcement Starts at the Top, How the Best Managers and Leaders Deliver Positive Reinforcement, Employee Feedback – The Need for Frequent Positive Reinforcement and recent newsletter:  Balance Your Priorities

Balancing priorities is a critical understanding to avoid potential pratfalls and interruptions in your business growth cycle. 

How do you take best advantage of employee feedback opportunities?  Recall in How the Best Managers and Leaders Deliver Positive Reinforcement we isolated the differences between effective and ineffective positive reinforcers as where the reinforcement takes place.  The first lesson in effective employee feedback is to gather it at the source, in your work place. 

Another critical employee feedback element is to gather it consistently.  Place a high importance on routinely hearing staff feedback [value of Strategic Discipline's weekly meeting rhythms with a customer and employee feedback element] and make sure you’re not receiving varnished information.  Make sure your staff and peers  present you with the true reality by avoiding the natural tendency to be defensive when feedback is uncomfortable about a subordinate or perhaps the manner in which you conduct yourself or perform assignments and responsibilities.   Keep an open mind.  Stay calm and focused on getting to the truth rather than yours or your staff version of it.

Finally the best course of action is to recognize that you are the conduit to improving employee feedback.  If you desire better performance and to improve employee feedback recognize it begins with you.  Reinforcement multiplies as it moves through the chain of command.  If you’re at the top of the chain realize the significant impact you have on everyone.  If you’re in the middle or bottom recognize how you influence others, and clean up your act, get out, get feedback, encourage and reinforce your team immediately, consistently and frequently.  If your superior is making it difficult for you to impact others by their poor example of positive reinforcement, offer some of the ideas you’ve read here or give them a copy of the book Bringing Out the Best in People.

Employee feedback isn’t just important in our businesses.  This past week I discovered through my association with Sports World that getting feedback can help possibly save lives as it did for one of my clients son’s friend.  The impact of feedback is next in blog.