This is the line a General Superintendent we work with says when his leaders complain about performance problems within their operations. It is a simple accountability reminder that our go-to tool for fixing performance problems should be immediate, effective, and impromptu feedback. |
If you’ve done the work to build respect and trust within your team and have developed relationship capital with your direct reports, they want solid feedback from you. And simultaneously, they will subconsciously resist this feedback at first. To succeed past this stage, use the following model:
Soft Open: “Are you open to some feedback right now? I have a one-degree adjustment.”
- Two things are happening with this statement. We are asking for permission, and we’ve defined the kind of feedback we want to deliver (Training/Coaching vs. Corrective vs. Warning). When they say yes, the defensive walls will be slightly easier to overcome.
Situation: Briefly describe the situation where the problem began.
- EX: “During the team meeting this morning…”
Behavior: Describe the behavior you observed without using any words that imply you have prejudged and convicted them. We want this feedback to start a discussion, not a fight.
- EX: “You seemed distracted by your phone, and we may have missed your contribution in the meeting.”
Impact: If possible, name the impact on the team, customer, or mission (NOT about your personal relationship with the teammate).
- EX: “I am not sure that we got all the insights we needed on the table, and we’ll probably have to pull the team together again to solve this problem for our client.”
The sooner you give feedback from the event, the better. Always deliver coaching feedback 1-1 to get started. You are probably closer to your next breakthrough than you imagine. Master the leadership skill of Coaching Feedback.
In case you missed it, check out our latest Coaching Feedback video HERE for more on the difference between Training, Correction, and Warning feedback.