Improving Positive Feedback Skills
Feedback is referred to as the process of getting output from the system for a certain input. In simple words, every individual requires some feedback based on the work they accomplish within an institution. It is considered a powerful tool in the business sector because positive feedback from leaders keeps employees informed about their overall performance in the workplace.
However, it is not easy for team leaders, supervisors, and managers to stay positive when it comes to giving feedback to employees. But it is imperative to keep feedback positive as much as possible while creating a balance between a realistic, yet motivation-oriented performance evaluation status. It is difficult for employees to analyze their capabilities and weaknesses without getting a regular response from their immediate leaders and top management. So feedback enables the workforce to stay informed and knowledge-enriched, mainly when they belong to diverse cultural and social backgrounds.
For example, the companies in the UAE focus more on motivating their workforce through positive feedback. These companies pay attention to grooming the feedback-giving skills of their higher management through comprehensive leadership training courses. It helps businesses ensure a process of self-awareness to keep the workforce motivated in order to groom their capacity for higher performance. So, if you are leading a company but you are unable to play your leadership role influentially owing to the lack of skills required for active feedback, this post is surely for you!
Why Is Positive Feedback From Leaders Essential For Employees?
Generally, feedback and performance evaluation systems focus more on appraisal management. However, an important aspect of feedback is to motivate the employee to seek higher professional aspirations. Therefore, the leadership needs to have positive behavior and choose words smartly while giving feedback.
Here are 3 reasons for doing so:
1. Feedback Boosts The Morale Of The Workforce
Motivation is the driving force behind everything, from personal life struggles to professional endeavors. Therefore, it is essential to keep the morale of the workforce high in order to achieve organizational goals successfully. This can be done by giving the employees positive feedback about their strengths and weaknesses for the hard-to-achieve tasks and activities related to work.
2. Feedback Augments Work Performance
You have surely heard, “brains, like hearts, go where they are appreciated.” The same is true when it comes to feedback. This is because when a professional gets a positive response in terms of feedback from their seniors and leads, they strive hard to maintain that tradition. Ultimately, the overall performance of the employee increases rapidly, and this is essential for the success of any organization.
3. Feedback Is Helpful In Professional Growth
Every individual aspires to higher professional development regardless of their job nature and scope. Therefore, leaders should consider feedback as an integral part of Performance Management. This is because it helps employees realize their potential to work with more dedication and higher proficiency along with possible threats, in the way of achieving their career goals. Consequently, employees acquire professional growth in the form of appraisals and promotions.
Why Leaders Face Difficulty When Giving Positive Feedback?
According to a study, around 8,671 leaders were surveyed to assess their preference for positive or negative feedback. The findings revealed that 56% of the leaders strongly believed in keeping the feedback negative to push the employees for higher performance. Surprisingly, only 31% preferred positive feedback. It is imperative to note that not all leaders are well-versed in giving motivational and positive feedback. This is because a few people consider negative feedback to be more influential in encouraging teams to work more, therefore resulting in productivity growth. However, this is not true.
On the other hand, a few people are not able to give positive feedback because they consider it something that can relax employees. So, the workforce may become lazy and not work with the same enthusiasm. However, it is dire to understand the value of positive feedback for the betterment of both the workforce as well as the organization. So, let’s move on to the next part and get some useful information on how leaders can improve their skills to ensure positivity among the workforce through a feedback system.
How Leaders Can Improve Positive Feedback Skills
There is no denying that an effective system of Performance Management enables the managers to explain organizational goals and meet the expectations of employees. In this way, the process of regular feedback fosters a culture of professional growth. However, it is not easy to focus on the positive aspects of one’s professional life, especially when it comes to the performance of subordinates. Therefore, leaders should learn the art of giving sugar-coated feedback. Here are 6 essential tips for this purpose:
1. Stick To Authenticity
The first and most important fact to consider when giving feedback is to maintain authentic opinions based on the overall performance of the employees. It is imperative to understand that honesty is the best policy, especially when you are going to have a conversation with the employees regarding performance. So, stick to the rules of being honest and authentic with every word because it can make a significant difference in the life of the employees.
2. Remember The Purpose Of Feedback
The primary objective of feedback is to help the workforce improve their work. Therefore, leaders should keep the very basic idea of feedback in mind while discussing the areas of improvement. The leaders should try to uplift the employees by creating balanced feedback.
3. Ensure Positive Dialogue
Sometimes, feedback sessions just turn out to be a monologue discussion, which may bother the employees. However, good leaders always initiate healthy discussions to lead toward the solutions of the problems. It not only helps employees gain confidence for betterment, but it also builds a relationship of trust between top management and the workforce.
4. Highlight Facts And Evidence
The best way to make the process of feedback highly positive, yet helpful, is to consider fact sheets. It is essential to transform feedback sessions into highly informative discussions where leaders reference their stance with the available evidence from the daily routine. So as a leader, you should have in-depth knowledge of the everyday tasks and activities of the employees.
5. Keep “What’s Next” In Mind
The essence of feedback is to improve. Therefore, leadership should focus more on the upcoming scenario rather than running in a loop without an output. It is essential to keep employees up-to-date with the potential issues in their work performance and also provide them with an effective solution. So, leaders should consider coming up with a solution during feedback sessions.
6. Take Proper Training
Self-learning based on a conscious understanding of one’s strengths and weaknesses is an effective method of skill improvement. But sometimes, people are unable to identify the potential hurdles in their way in order to ensure positive feedback to the workforce. In such a situation, it is better to acquire proper skill grooming to avoid any inconvenience during feedback. If you are residing in the UAE, it is suggested to look for professional services in leadership training in Dubai for learning the art of successful feedback. Proper skill enhancement will surely help you become good at giving feedback to the workforce to improve their performance.
Final Thoughts
Summing up, giving and taking feedback is the norm of every organization. But making the process worthwhile depends on the leadership. This is because higher authorities, managers, and team leaders are responsible for making feedback a useful learning experience for employees. Feedback is not all about telling the workforce what they are lacking but also about giving them hints about performance improvement. In this way, feedback should be a blend of strong and weak points regarding the performance of employees. However, not every leader is good at doing this. So, it is better to learn the art of comprehensive feedback. Don’t forget to incorporate the given tips in your daily routine in order to be able to give positive, yet critical, feedback to your subordinates!
