Category: Leadership

5 Ways To Become A Better Teammate At Work

5 Ways To Become A Better Team Member At Work

We’ve all been stuck collaborating with that one colleague we wished would work with the rest of the team, and if you haven’t, there’s a good chance that person was you. Luckily for us, collaborating effectively in a group setting is a skill you can hone so long as you are open to feedback and self-reflection. Here are a few valuable things to keep in mind when growing as a valued member of the team in your workplace:

#1 – Express Your Weaknesses And Preferred Roles Upfront

There’s little more frustrating than waiting for a colleague to deliver on a task only for them to return and say they need experience or skills vital to completion. You can avoid stress by being upfront about your skill set and any trepidation about tackling your share of a team project. When you swallow your pride and communicate your weaknesses in advance, 9 times out of 10, your team will be excited to adjust your role or provide valuable resources to help you complete your deliverables to everyone’s satisfaction.

#2 – Encourage Your Colleagues With Honest Praise

Part of being a valuable team member is recognizing when someone else excels and uplifting them. Mentioning to others on the team about a team member’s great job helps unify and strengthen the team dynamic. It encourages a positive cycle of similar hype-ups for yourself and your colleagues, promoting increased group cohesion and morale.

#3 – Plan Ahead To Overcome Your Shortcomings

If you know you tend to scramble last-minute right before the deadline, shift your deadline date in your reminders one or two days before the actual due date, and treat that as the new deadline. That way, if something disrupts your mad dash to get everything done, you’ve planned with a buffer that keeps you on track without letting the whole team down.

If you’re aware that you’ll experience hurdles to completing your share of tasks for the team, be open and honest about them immediately. A team worth its salt will be understanding and, in many cases, willing to adapt to accommodate your needs.

#4 – It’s Okay To Be Wrong, So Long As We’re Learning

Mistakes happen, and that’s okay so long as you’re not making the same mistakes repeatedly. Try not to dwell on your slip-ups, and constantly avoid self-deprecating over them to the rest of the team because when you put yourself down in front of the group, your team will eventually see you that way, and they will no longer trust you’re capable of holding up your end of the task. Instead, own up to it and be open to valuable feedback, then implement changes to avoid making those same mistakes in the future.

#5 – Be The Part That Improves The Whole

The most important thing to remember about working within a team dynamic is that nobody expects you to shoulder the entire load. Look to others with more experience for advice and assistance without burdening them unduly, and look for opportunities to hold others up when they need a helping hand. A rising tide raises all ships, so what’s good for the group is great for everyone! Good luck on your next team task – I believe in you!

How To Be An Inspiring Leader (Even If You’re Not in a Position of Authority)

You don’t need to be in charge to be someone others look to for guidance and leadership. Managers are constantly looking for standout colleagues they can trust who can command the reins while away from the team on pressing business. Here are a few specific ways you can become an inspiring leader.

Help Others Detach Fear From The Unknown

When there’s an apparent lack of leadership, imagination may run wild, leading to destructive speculation about what disasters await failure should a decision or project go awry. Instead of feeding the fear. Be the inspiring leader who diffuses those fears. Keep everyone focused on the task and the positive outcome that awaits the team once the work is done. You’ll become the person people approach for guidance when they experience unfounded fears over unknowable outcomes.

Be The One Who Listens

Everyone likes to hear themselves talk, especially when there’s no clear focus in the room, like a team leader or manager. Instead of competing to be the loudest voice in the room, listen. Qualify the ideas of others who speak up and bring others into the conversation by prompting their thoughts on the matter. By bringing everyone together through active listening and supporting your colleagues’ ideas, you’ll grow to become an anchor people look to for support when they’re trying to relay their ideas to the rest of the team.

Quell Dissent

We’ve all been in a meeting where the second the manager in charge leaves the room; someone starts bad-mouthing their decision-making or directives. The time to nip that destructive talk is the first time it happens, but it’s never too late to step up and remind everyone to exercise a little professionalism. There are productive ways to disagree with management, but once a direction has been chosen, it’s the team’s job to deliver, and being the glue that holds a group in unison by dispelling destructive talk makes you someone who can be trusted to say what needs to be said.

When You Notice Greatness In Others, Say So

It’s encouraging to hear you’re doing well from your peers. Most people can spot a shallow or self-serving compliment from a mile away. Still, you’ll genuinely connect with your colleague whenever you can zero in on a specific, work-related job done exceptionally. Beyond that, tell their superiors what a great job they’re doing, especially if you’re on the same upward trajectory within the company! Doing so expresses confidence that others will value and look to whenever a genuine opinion is needed come performance review time.

You Don’t Have To Be in a Position of Authority To Be A Great Leader

Ultimately, someone has to take the lead in group work settings to maintain focus, direction, and cohesion when the boss leaves her team to achieve their goals. That leader may as well be you. Consider these ideas, and when you see an opportunity to flex your leadership muscles, go for it! It takes time and lots of practice to become a great leader. Every opportunity is another chance to grow into the type of person others look to for guidance, inspiration, feedback, and reassurance. Get out there and cultivate your leadership qualities in your next team setting!

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5 Ways To Stand Out In Team Meetings

Team meetings can become battlegrounds where colleagues jockey for position, jousting with words, experience, and presence for approval and consideration for advancement and accolades within companies of all sizes. Navigating tense meetings can often feel like make-or-break moments where careers are decided, and trust is forged or shattered with every contribution.

So how can you stand out as a valuable, essential member during team meetings? Here are several great ways to make your mark during your next team meeting:

Be The Most Prepared Person In The Room

Study up on the meeting agenda before the meeting itself and come prepared with answers to questions you think others may ask. If the plan is vague, send a quick email to your manager or the meeting organizer asking for a quick rundown of the main topics they’ll bring to the table.

Knowledge is power. When you arrive prepared, you’ll appear confident and reliable just by having a few choice contributions waiting in your back pocket compared to team members who just waltzed in late and are more concerned about their venti latte.

Whenever you’re able to speed up a meeting by offering information immediately to answer a question or set up a topic of conversation, you’re showing you value everyone’s time enough to come prepared. In today’s high-speed corporate world, you cannot buy or fake this kind of trustworthiness.

Those Who Are Loudest in Meetings Often Have The Least To Say

Being the person who jumps in the most during meetings often has a negative social effect overall, as teams will often equate that to “spotlight syndrome,” where they’ll feel an over-speaker is talking just to be heard and not for the good of the team.

You do not have to be the one who answers every single question, nor do you need always be the first to offer up responses during pauses in the conversation to be noticed. Those who choose this strategy come off as selfish or attention-seeking for their efforts. The key is to speak efficiently when you do have the floor, stay on task, and treat those you’re talking to with a respectful benefit of the doubt. When you encounter teammates who are overstepping just to be noticed, let them. More often than not, they will fizzle themselves out as they flounder, trying to appear relevant, and when the conversation lulls as a result, you can swoop in with a concise talking point to bring everyone back on track, which will endear you to management and your colleagues for righting the ship.

Kill Them With Kindness

Empathy is at a premium, and those who can not only maintain their composure during stressful meetings but help their colleagues do the same, are regarded with immense value by management during group meetings. Fear is a powerful motivator; it takes real emotional fortitude to see past the negative possibilities and focus on what is possible with earnest collaboration.

If your contributions rally people toward the common goal, that’s the epitome of being a team player! Nay-saying and baseless argumentative “what-ifs” may sound productive on the surface but are usually fruitless fear-mongering that wastes valuable time and sows unnecessary worry throughout the team. Focus on being a thoughtful, positive contributor by uplifting others while reinforcing your positive contributions to the conversation.

Review The Previous Meetings And Thank The Presenter

While not necessary after every meeting, it is a thoughtful gesture to send a timely message of thanks to whoever championed the meeting and offer a few uplifting comments about specific insights you gleaned from their contributions. Most people will be surprised at first but will welcome a quick note of appreciation for the work they put into presenting in front of the whole team.

Building connections this way will often open the door to collaborating or asking for your thoughts in the future, which is a great networking opportunity that can lead to projects and even promotions or future job opportunities!

Summarize The Expectations Going Forward Prior To The Wrap-Up

When the meeting is winding down, be the one who asks for clarification on the expectations for everyone between now and the next meeting. What are the expected goals team-wide? Who has to focus on which core responsibility? Does everybody understand what they must do between now and your next meeting? Are there any points of confusion that need clearing up before everyone breaks for lunch?

By championing points of clarity for your team, you’re looking out for both individuals and the greater good of the entire team, which saves time and confusion for everybody and helps everyone hit the ground running!

Team meetings can feel treacherous, but if you keep these tips in mind, you’ll be much more helpful, trusted, and welcomed during your next meeting.

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4 Secrets For A Productive Workweek

Time has a habit of getting away from us. Before you know it, the week is over, and nothing we’ve planned to accomplish got done. Sure, a bunch of last-minute emergencies got pushed up to the front of the line, but the plans, projects, and personal time you hoped for always seem to get shoved over to the wayside.

The real secret to a productive work week isn’t planning: it’s preparing.

Sure, you can plan to tackle an entire week’s worth of tasks. But have you PREPARED for those tasks? If not, you’re defeated before you even start.

Prepare Yourself For A Productive Workweek

Plan your weekly self-care routine:

Food.
Moments for mindfulness.
Making to-do lists.
Honoring your space

It’s easy to think you’re “making extra time” for your daily tasks, but if you don’t take care of yourself first, how will you put your best into your projects? The truth is you’re not, and skipping your morning self-care is a great way to sabotage your projects before you even start!

Prepare Your Meals For A Productive Work Week

Last-minute meals when you’re starving devolve into air-fryer chicken fingers and fries. If you prepare a greek salad at the top of the day, you can sneak some at-the-ready vegetables into your last-minute meal, and you’ll feel a whole lot more refreshed and ready to tackle your self-care routine the following day!

A good tip is to take some time right after you’ve stocked your fridge to break down some of your favorite food items into ready-to-go snack packs in containers you can grab and go throughout the week: veggie sticks with hummus and dip, along with fresh pita is a PERFECT quick snack. Toss some cheese cubes and a cut-up summer sausage, and you’ve got a picnic on the go! But you’re never going to do that for yourself if you’re tired and already hungry; you’ll eat whatever’s quickest and easiest to prepare. Trust me when I tell you you’ll feel brighter and more energetic if you enjoy prepared meals more often, and those rewards pay actual world dividends on your productivity!

Prepare Moments Of Mindfulness For A Productive Work Week

Moments of mindfulness are times throughout your day when no one can reach you, ignore your cell phone notifications, and you can decompress for a moment to catch your breath and reassess the day. You can plan these moments into your routine, or you can cultivate awareness with your family and colleagues that sometimes you’ll take moments to yourself and will be available shortly.

It sounds like a waste of time. Just like self-care, giving your mind everyday moments to relax and decompress sets you up to be more fortified and resilient when you return to the task. Everyone, no matter how focused or determined, has an upper limit for stress and energy. When you let yourself reset and recoup with a moment’s peace to yourself, you often return with new solutions or compassion that may not have otherwise been possible when you power through with no breaks.

Moments of mindfulness look different for everyone, but the common goal is to let your mind rest for a few minutes every few hours (at least) without absorbing new information or experiencing sensory overload. No phones, no distractions. A walk around the block, a quiet snack and some fresh air, or even a dedicated silent prayer and meditation can all be excellent examples of a moment of mindfulness. Taking space for yourself is one conscious way to avert over-exerting yourself and create boundaries that people worth respecting will respect. It turns out this is also a great way to discover who among your family, friends, and colleagues are used to draining your energy, as they are the ones who will be immediately put off and opposed to your request for a moment’s peace.

Preparing To-Do Lists For A Productive Work Week

Most of us are quick to scoff at the value of a to-do list as though they’re only for people who have trouble keeping track of their lives. The truth is, it’s completely natural and human to be derailed by new ideas, distractions, and even crises throughout the day. To-do lists let you plan and prioritize, they help you quickly return to tasks when you’ve found yourself distracted, and you even get a little dopamine hit whenever you check off a completed job! To-do lists offer clarity and peace of mind at the start of a task-heavy day and take the stress of remembering a dozen or so tasks at a time for hours on end. Studies have shown that we can only keep track of between 4 to 9 unique ideas in our short-term memory at any given time! The truth is that leaving the fate of your plans up to chance by relying on your memory to keep track of everything you’re supposed to do in a day is a great way to sabotage your efforts right from the start. Make regular to-do lists for an entire week and see how much more you can accomplish!

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How to Manage Your Time Better in 1 Week

In this age of information overload, most leaders today are crunched for time. Some overwork themselves to the point of exhaustion, and some can’t seem to stay focused on a singular task and instead get lots of things half-done in their day.

On top of needing more time at work, most would say they wish they could spend more time with friends and families and pursue non-work-related hobbies. There are so many time-saving hacks out there with a wide variety of effectiveness.

On average, it takes more than 2 months before a new behavior becomes automatic — 66 days to be exact. (Source) But as soon as you start a new habit, you start reaping the benefits, including managing your time better.

4 Ways to Manage Your Time Better in 1 Week

1. Plan ahead.

If you head to work every day without a plan of what needs to be done that day and in that first hour, you’re wasting time. If you start your day with email, you are letting other people dictate the priority of your tasks. To set yourself up for success the following day, you need to leave your office tidy and with a short list of prioritized items for the next day. Most people have the most energy for higher-functioning mental tasks in the morning. Try tackling your 2 most important tasks (MIT) first thing in the morning.

2. Remake Your Schedule

If you have the freedom to dictate parts of your schedule, you should reconsider how your days are scheduled. Our minds can only stay focused for 90-minute periods before needing a short 20-25 minute break. Instead of organizing all of your meetings into one time block, try to break up your day, leaving time before and after your meetings to brainstorm and reflect. People with the best time management skills understand how the brain works and work within its parameters to get things done efficiently.

3. Eliminate half-work.

Half-work is when we split our attention between 2 different tasks. Perhaps you start answering emails and then take a phone call, but continue to try to answer emails. Another example would be when you’re halfway done with a project and grab your phone to start scrolling social media for no reason.

“In our age of constant distraction, it’s stupidly easy to split our attention between what we should be doing and what society bombards us with,” writes James Clear, the best-selling author of Atomic Habits.

If you start to pay attention to your habits, you’ll quickly realize how often you do half-work throughout your day. It probably started as a way to get things done quicker by working on more than one thing at a time, but that’s not how our brains work best.

“Regardless of where and how you fall into the trap of half–work, the result is always the same: you’re never fully engaged in the task at hand, you rarely commit to a task for extended periods, and it takes you twice as long to accomplish half as much,” adds Clear.

For most people, our habit of half-work is deeply related to our smartphone/internet addiction. Try leaving your phone off and in another room the next time you sit down to work on a project.

4. Batch similar tasks together.

Batching tasks together is a great way to save time at home and work. Try scheduling similar tasks together when you have your list for the day. Write all emails, make all phone calls, and make all calendar appointments, separating each task into separate time blocks.

“Different tasks demand different types of thinking. By batching related tasks together, your brain isn’t switching gears – which means you cut out that time reorienting.” (Source)

Time management is a serious problem for so many people. We’ve got things pulling us in a million different directions with varying degrees of importance. We all only have 24 hours a day and 168 hours a week. Habits are hard to start and even more challenging to continue into our lives. But the payoff could be enormous when you think about the energy you saved compounded over time.

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How to Leave the Office and Set Yourself Up for Success the Next Day

How many articles have you read about how leaders of today start their day? Yes, it is crucial to have different routines throughout your day. Starting off your workday on the right foot with a few different habitual routines is definitely a proven way to set yourself up for success. What most people don’t think or talk about is a “leaving the office” routine. Some people have no more routine than every day they get in their car at 5:05pm. Some leave their offices tidy, some leave it in a haphazard mess.

Why This Routine is Important

Lynn Taylor, a national workplace expert is quoted, “How you end the day is critical, as it has much to do with how you start the next day. It’s half of the puzzle of being productive. Both pieces are like bookends that carry extra weight relative to what happens in between. They’re like first and last impressions that hold tremendous impact on your view of your work, attitude and productivity level. The end of your day sets the stage for tomorrow, and the start of your day sets the stage for today.” (Source)

Michael Kerr, an international business speaker and author, says another reason to have a leaving the office routine is that it, “has huge effect on the level of stress and happiness you carry home, which in turn can impact your health, your marriage and family life, your ability to sleep and your overall level of happiness.” (Source)

3 Things to Think About When Creating an Evening Routine

1. Review your schedule and to-do list for the next day.

This tip is especially helpful if you have projects that spill over into the following day. Whether you keep a physical or digital planner/calendar, update it accordingly. This is also a great time to help you see your day/week/month as a big picture. Notice what’s eating up most of your time. If it’s not your top priority, what can you delegate or what meetings can you miss/cancel in order to align your priorities with how you spend your time.

2. Tidy up your physical and digital space.

Before you groan at this tip, it really works. Study after study has found that a clean workspace helps our brains function at top levels and be more productive. You may need to acquire a paper sorter or figure out a way to organize things in a way where you can start off every morning with a relatively clean desk.

In terms of your digital space, make a daily check to ensure that your files are saved in an organized fashion. The other place where digital clutter ensues is our inboxes. Do your best to weed out your inbox of spam/promotions, reply to emails that take three minutes or less, and write a prioritized list of which emails need your urgent attention for the next day.

3. Leave on a positive note.

“Take note of something that went well, compliment a co-worker on an accomplishment, or drop a thank you note to a client, Woodward says.”

Whoever reports to you, try leaving them with an encouraging comment before you walk out the door. Taylor agrees. Workers always want to feel valued and like their work is making a difference in the long term.
The attitude in which you leave the office will eventually match your attitude in which you arrive. Leave with a smile, and you may be a happier person as you walk in the doors the next day.

When forming new habits and routines, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Maybe you’ll stick firmly to the course for 3 days, but then get derailed and never return to it. Instead, pick one habit to start doing at the end of your workday. Make sure to prioritize that time in your schedule, even if it’s just 10 or 15 minutes. When you’ve done that small routine for at least 3 weeks and you feel comfortable, add another part of your leaving routine, adding extra time to your exit strategy. In no time, you’ll be arriving to work ready to tackle the day without the loose ends of yesterday lying all over your office distracting you.

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5 Quick Tips for Leading a Remote Team Well

Since Covid-19 first hit over 2 years ago, more and more companies have started to lead remote team full-time or in a hybrid. Obviously, managing a team in person and leading your team while they work from home is quite different.

Here are 5 quick tips that will make employees feel supported while they work remotely.

1. Set up recurring one-on-one connection points

This will go a long way towards helping employees with specific problems they are trying to deal with and allowing them to say something they don’t feel comfortable bringing up in an all-staff meeting. Also, help with developing a good working relationship and providing specific support they may need.

2. Set clear expectations, and then trust employees to meet them.

Here are two crucial parts of leading remote teams effectively. If there are only vague expectations, expect dismal results. Lay out all procedures step-by-step and some ways to troubleshoot problems should they come across them. Remote employees are more productive, partly because they can work at their own pace on their timetable, which means if they know they are more productive in the mornings, they have the autonomy to choose that time to get the work done that requires the most brain power.

3. Use technology to create systems.

Many apps and desktop systems help you manage the process you expect employees to follow. You can set up tasks, due dates, status up dates, chats, and helpful tools to keep the wheels running smoothly!

4. Set (and stick to) meeting time limits

“Short daily scrums versus two-hour-long meetings are helping businesses encourage communication, identify problems faster, work on them quickly, become more agile, and develop a good cadence in the long run.” (Source) It gives you a nice quick face-to-face with everyone, lets you set the priorities for the day, and answer questions. You want people to leave the meetings feeling energized and ready to tackle their goals instead of drained.

5. Celebrate team and individual successes!

“Clarify how you measure success and make sure the metrics focus not only on quality, time, and financial factors but also on personal well-being.” When the team is near a goal, make sure everyone knows it. When you accomplish a goal, don’t go right into the next mile marker without taking a moment to recognize the hard work and effort of everyone on the team who helped accomplish this goal. Celebrating individual successes can be done one-on-one or in front of others, depending on how you think they’d receive the praise best.

When every team member feels heard and seen, it’s not hard to kickstart their productivity towards a common goal. Keep these 5 tips in mind as you plan to improve your leadership skills continually.

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Resolving Conflicts as a Leader

Leaders are tasked with many different hats to wear, but one of the most significant responsibilities of a leader is to mediate and empower others to resolve their conflicts. These can range from disputes between colleagues or even employees having conflicts with management or upper-level employees.

Your job as a leader is one of great importance.

“Many leaders would rather avoid tension to create the appearance of harmony. What they don’t realize is that by avoiding tension all together they are unknowingly creating silos and internal disruption amongst employees.” (Forbes) The way you handle conflicts reflects on your character and the company culture you would like to portray.

While conflict resolution is never fun, it is crucial.

Genuine relationships, in and out of the office, are tested by conflict and the two parties’ ability to agree. After coming out on the other side, relationships tested by conflict are stronger and more trustworthy. “Effective leaders know that the most authentic relationships with their employees, clients, and external partners don’t truly begin until they experience some form of tension with them.”

As a leader, your job is to prepare other to face their conflict head-on with tact, grace, and impeccable timing.

If they address the conflict without enough evidence, it’s hard to have a solid foot to stand on. If they handle the conflict too late, they run the risk of others thinking you are trying to avoid it, which will not help them have influence in the workplace among their peers. “Timing is everything when it comes to managing conflict, and the best time to take action is when there is hard evidence/proof that an employee has a track record of wrongdoing that is negatively impacting the performance of others.” (Forbes)

With the amount of diversity in today’s workplace, it is easy for there to be conflict.

Leaders have the unique responsibility of trying to see from others’ perspectives while working to empower other to resolve their conflict. When you try, you can always learn something from seeing something from another person’s point of view, even if you still disagree in the end. “Rather than impose your influence, hierarchy, or rank – respect the unique differences in people. Learn to see things from differing points of view so you can better understand how to empower other to avoid conflict in the future.” (Forbes)

In conclusion, empowering other to resolve conflict as a leader is a vital skill that you can grow as you get more experience. No matter what–it is never the best solution to ignore conflicts. Your team needs to know that you, as a leader, can mediate situations as necessary for the workplace to function smoothly and efficiently.

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5 Characteristics of Absolutely Inspiring Leaders

Not just anyone can be an inspiring leader; one needs a set of honed characteristics to influence those they lead.

Coupled with a strong vision, a commitment to integrity, and a robust set of morals, inspiring leaders have the power to change the world. International leaders like Prince William and Princess Kate, innovators like Elon Musk, and world championship athletes like Simone Biles all have one thing in common: they are all considered completely inspiring leaders.

Harvard Business School discovered that the ability to inspire is the factor that creates the highest levels of employee commitment and engagement. Additional research found that inspired employees are twice as productive as their satisfied counterparts, driving 59% less turnover, 21% better productivity, and a 41% drop in absenteeism.

So, what makes a leader inspiring?

1. Commitment to Values

A true leader not only knows and communicates their values, but they stick to their principles, no matter what. Even if it causes rifts with those around you, leaders can’t cave into peer pressure.

Being focused and ethical isn’t always easy, but inspirational leaders will always stand up for what they believe is right and fight against injustice. Leaders must act with integrity if they’re going to inspire anyone.

After all, people will always be watching the world leaders for evidence that they embody the principles they stand for.

2. A Passion for Growth

Leaders always know they can improve. That’s why many of the best leaders have a passion for constant learning and development. Leaders are self-aware of some of their weaknesses, while some are brought to light by listening to others.

What’s more, a great leader also can encourage growth in others. Inspirational leaders give the people around them opportunities to learn and grow too. This could mean giving employees access to classes and educational tools.

3. Absolute Authenticity

Great leaders connect with others because they’re open about their strengths and struggles. Leaders can genuinely gain influence by showing their vulnerability to those they lead. They can relate to the journeys that others go through, and they initiate conversations about how they achieved success.

4. Incredible Communication

Communication is crucial for any leader to be inspirational. How can you motivate someone to accomplish great things if you can’t understand each other?

Notably, not all communication is verbal. Leaders need to connect with others in different ways, from interactions over video conferencing to written messages to body language.

Genuinely exceptional leaders understand how their stance and facial expression can bring context into a conversation. Inspirational leaders use body language to put others at ease.

5. Focus on Inclusivity

Great leaders aren’t the bosses who use fear to drive results, and you can’t lead or influence anyone who feels excluded. Instead, effective leaders focus on cultivating an environment where people can explore their ideas and let their creativity shine through.

Good leaders also know how to value diversity and support various working styles. True inspiration in any environment thrives when people feel part of a supported community. A leader knows how to take a team of people who have never met and turn them into a tight-knit circle.

A leader who cultivates a warm and encouraging environment opens the door to innovation. You have what it takes to be a leader who gives true inspiration. We offer coaching that will take your leadership skills to the next level–connect with us today!

How Leaders Can Give More Effective Feedback

Employees Planning at Table Trading Effective Feedback

Effective feedback is one of the most valuable things a business leader can give. Constructive feedback in the workplace helps everyone to understand what we’re doing right and where we need to improve. When feedback is positive, it acts as a source of motivation. We get the reassurance of knowing that we’re taking the right steps towards our goals.

When feedback is negative, it can be worrisome initially, but it’s also a valuable opportunity for growth. Negative feedback, when given effectively, shows the things that we need to improve in a supportive way. The short-term work may be tough, but the payoff will be worth it in the long term.

The Benefits of Constructive Feedback

The benefits of constructive feedback start with engagement. When people get constant feedback and guidance from their team leaders, they feel more engaged by their role and more connected to the team. There are countless statistics proving that feedback drives positive results.

Around 96% of employees say they want to hear feedback regularly.

Feedback also:

Reduces staff turnover. Giving specific feedback regarding positive things you see your team doing is a great way to retain staff. However, it also helps to give them information about what areas they can grow. Team members like to see that they’re making progress in their roles.
Provides better business outcomes. You can only drive better results for your company if your employees know what to do to deliver success. Telling your employees why the work they’ve done is on target or missing the mark means that they’re more likely to deliver effective results in the future.
Increases productivity. The more feedback your team receives, the more confident they’ll be about taking initiative. Providing feedback on a consistent basis keeps your team members from constantly questioning what they do because they already know what their goals are and how to reach them.

How to Give Effective Feedback

Step 1: Be Positive

Giving feedback is important, but not just any feedback will do. Only around 29% of employees say that the feedback they get helps them to perform better in their job.

If you want the things you say to have a positive influence on your team, it’s important to have a strategy.

First, start by addressing the positives. Highlight what made their work effective and recognize the outcomes that came from the work.

For instance, “Great job on that sales pitch. The way you connected our product features to their recent marketing challenges really got them to take notice.”

If you’re going to give negative feedback, starting the conversation with a positive comment will make your team member more receptive to hearing the rest of what you’re going to say.

Ineffective: Your latest work isn’t written in line with the brand voice.
Effective: We really like that you’ve taken the time to produce a well-researched piece of work. However, I’ve outlined a few areas where your tone might not match the company voice. Could you take another look at these sections?

Step 2: Be Specific and Objective

Aside from approaching feedback from a positive perspective, the other most valuable thing you can do to make your feedback more effective is to be specific.

Avoid making generalized observations about something, such as, “You were great in that meeting”. Although these statements might make others feel good, they don’t give any direction for the future. Instead, try, “That meeting was fantastic, I really liked how much data you used to drive home your point.”

At the same, focus on factual information with your feedback, particularly if you’re giving negative information.

For instance, instead of saying, “I don’t like how you handled that call,” remove your feelings from the situation. Say “Great job on jumping into that call with a quick response time. It would have been better for you to introduce yourself on that call before you asked the customer how you can help.”

Remember, objective and specific pieces of feedback will help your employees to understand what they’ve done well and where they could improve.

Step 3: Give Actionable Advice

Finally, avoid only telling someone that you liked or disliked something they did. Give them actionable advice on what to do next. Actionable advice is what makes feedback constructive.

Instead of, “I think you could have done better in that call,” explain what they can do to get better results the next time.

For instance, “That call was very clear and well-spoken, but I think you lost track of our message a few times. Perhaps you could glance down at our sales scripts from time to time just to keep yourself on track?”

Moving Forward

Effective feedback is beneficial for you, your team members, and your company. Focus this week on starting a habit of giving consistent feedback.