Establishing a Feedback Habit

“Have performance conversations so frequently that they feel natural.”

“Repetition builds confidence and culture.”

-Dan Rockwell

These two simple yet powerful sentences from the Leadership Freak’s, May 11, 2017, Blog, capture the essence of good leadership. You can improve your own performance as a supervisor—the more feedback you give, the better you get at giving meaningful feedback. And, the beauty is, the more feedback employees receive, the better they get at receiving and leveraging feedback to boost their performance.

One easy way to ensure you are giving regular feedback is to establish the 1/40th Habit™—take an hour (or more) each week dedicated exclusively to your people. Start by asking yourself these questions:

• Did anyone do something good this week?

  • If so, have I thanked them?
• Did anyone have any issues this week?
  • If so, have I talked with them?
  • And, have I documented that conversation?

Invariably, the answer to the two main questions will be “Yes.” Now, it is up to you to follow through to give the positive feedback and appreciation that employees deserve and crave; it will boost their morale and their performance. Where you know there is a need for improvement, your feedback can be the first step in closing the gap between your expectations and their performance, and this too can ultimately lead to both of you achieving more.

Follow our 1/40th Habit faithfully each week and your performance conversations will be more natural for you and your employees, building confidence in the shared experience and establishing a culture where feedback is expected and ultimately welcomed.