“Why do we only get feedback when we do something wrong?”
That’s a question that I have received on more than one occasion. It’s a good question, and it should make you think.
Because when you give #praise for the things that people do well, they feel good, and people are motivated to repeat the actions that make them feel good.
I have already talked about the importance of praise
But how should you give praise? Most companies will buy some pizza at the end of a project to say to the team good job. That’s nice, but it’s not particularly effective. When giving praise, here are three things to keep in mind.
Don’t Wait
When giving praise, you should do it right away. Many times when giving feedback we wait too long. Some might even only provide feedback at the performance review.
Try remembering what you had for dinner last Friday night? Do you remember how it tasted? Was the seasoning on point? Was it at the proper temperature? Did it have a nice bit of acid?
Now try to remember what you had for dinner six months ago? It doesn’t matter; I bet you couldn’t answer those questions for either time.
It is incredibly difficult to provide feedback after an extended period. Memory is fickle. Your direct report might have long forgotten something that stuck in your mind or that you made notes on.
When you find something good, you need to bring it up right away while it is fresh in both of your minds.
Be Specific
You need to be specific. I find that when I give vague praise, it’s appreciated, but it doesn’t help anything. I do reviews of designs, and when I say “good design” people will enjoy it, but it doesn’t tell them what was exactly good about it.
When I point to a section of the drawing and say that this is a creative solution, then they know they should focus on this types of solutions in the future.
Look for Praise
I review designs, and for years when I review I would only look for what was wrong. I would look for errors and gotchas. I loved the gotchas!
“Why do I only get feedback when I do something wrong?”
Now I look for both what is wrong, and what is good. If you find enough good things, then people’s morale will be raised, and they will focus on the things you point out.
#Leadership is more than just trying to program a person with instructions to do a job. It requires motivation and collaboration. If you want to motivate your team to get the best out of them, you need to make them feel good about the job they are doing.