Starting with giving feedback

I'm really new to all this management stuff and have found the feedback model to be really good (difficult but good). It is uncomfortable to use at first (and to be honest still is) and I know I don't use it nearly enough.
When I do give some feedback in this way (mainly sticking to affirming just now) it does seem to work well. Some of my staff snigger a little and think I'm a little strange but I know they like it when I do it. I find it quite an effort and am trying to get to the as easy and regular as "breathing" stage. That's a little way off just now!

I think you should just go for it at any time. I've been trying (not quite achieved yet) to give five bits of affirming feedback every day - I know this is way too low but it's a start! I am going to increase that as much as possible over the coming months.

Giving feedback in the O3's is easier. I have been trying to make sure I have some affirming feedback for every O3. My O3's have been running for about 4 weeks now and find them brilliant. I think the relationship with my directs have improved vastly over those 4 weeks.

Good luck!

Stuart

Anything's doable, but you'll see better benefits if you give feedback all the time. The concept is to make it less of a event. It's just feedback. Like when you drive down the highway and are constantly making tiny steering adjustments. Nothing was horrifically wrong, you just didn't want to get to horrific, so you made a tiny adjustment.

Get over the discomfort. It won't take long, and you'll be glad you did.

You have fears. Pretty normal.

People WILL look at you funny. Your directs WILL act weird.

Others will make jokes IN FRONT OF YOU... ABOUT YOU.

You don't get the job because it's easy, and you don't keep the job by doing easy things.

Don't be so worried about keeping your job that you forget to DO your job.

You're responsible. It doesn't matter whether you like it or not. At the end of the year, if your team could have done better and you know you could have done more and it affects rewards, what are you going to tell your boss, "but I was afraid some people would think it was weird."

As one of our members' tag lines here says, don't wish for it to be easy; pray for the strength to get through."

If you want, think of it as an experiment. Pick your best guy - both in performance and attitude, and talk to him about what you're going to do. Be kind, and tell him you want his help trying this experiment out. See what happens. If it doesn't work, for whatever reason, stop doing it. If it works, thank us when you get promoted.

Mark

[quote="stuartmcmorrow"]
Giving feedback in the O3's is easier. [/quote]

As it is stated in the podcasts, it is just breathing. I admit that it takes time to relearn breathing!

Give feed back in the O3s. Give feedback while going down the hall to your office before taking your coat off. Give feedback when going to the coffee machine.

After a few weeks when you say "May I give you some feedback?" your directs will SMILE and say "sure" usually because they know it is affirming feedback. Even when the feedback is adjusting I often still see a smile because they *know* what is coming.

The adjusting feedback is harder to deliver. That is why building the relationship through O3s is so important.

Try this: On the drive to work think of two things that went right the day before. When you get to the office BEFORE taking your coat off poke your head in their respective offices, smile, and ask the question--and wait. Assuming you get a "yes" then deliver the affirming feedback.