Friday, April 27, 2007

Feedback and surge forward

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(Published in the Job Market-Working People section of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, April 27, 2007, Sunday)

By Roel Andag
Contributor


A guide to productive feedback process

Every company practices or wants to have it. Depending on the giver’s mastery in handling the process and the receiver’s sincerity in pursuing self-improvement, it can induce either excitement or discomfort. It is feedback in the workplace.

For the company, an effective feedback process produces better leaders and performers. On the other hand, the employee benefits from the affirmation he receives and from becoming more aware of behavior adjustments he needs to make.

As much as it can be nerve wracking for the one who will receive the feedback, it can also be challenging for the one giving it. It’s a two-way process and the parties have individual and shared responsibilities to make the process work. Because it is delicate and should be a productive exercise, it is important to follow these guidelines:

Specific behavior not general performance

Do not confuse or misuse the feedback process as performance evaluation. Performance is the execution of an action while behavior is the manner of conducting oneself. Feedback focuses on specific behavior. The desired behaviors are ideally those that are aligned with the values and culture of the company. These are behaviors that support the employee in the performance of his job. The result of the feedback process is not a performance evaluation but can be used as one of the bases in such evaluation.

What are these behaviors? It depends on the company but the generally desired ones are aligned with competencies such as leadership, achievement orientation, decisiveness, communication, adaptability, collaboration, strategic thinking, innovativeness, and focus and drive.

Isolate behaviors from one another so as not to pollute your judgment. For example, if you are the feedback receiver, don’t claim that your consistent attendance should make the feedback giver overlook your arrogance with customers.

Descriptive not evaluative
“Your resistance to work in a team is blocking your potential” is an evaluative statement because it determines the worth or significance of a behavior. Its descriptive equivalent is “You resist working in a team.” Why is it advisable to be descriptive? First, to allow the receiver to come up with his own judgment about his behavior and second, to maintain the objectivity of the process.

Effective feedback requires candor and sincerity. Filipinos who are exceedingly modest and diplomatic are in for a surprise when they work in multinational companies where feedback is a no holds barred affair. In this case, the Filipino saying ‘walang personalan, trabaho lang’ best applies.

Self description required

An effective feedback process is not one-sided. It takes into consideration the perspectives of both the giver and receiver so as to obtain an objective view.

If you are the receiver, you are best suited for a feedback session when you come prepared with a self description. You will gain this knowledge through introspection. Ask yourself hard questions. Make sure that your self description is unadulterated by false pride, excuses and exaggeration. You can use the feedback session as a tool of promotion by accentuating the positive, enumerating lessons learned and identifying proposed way forward. The best preparation though is demonstrating commendable traits way before feedback time and making helpful behaviors a way of life.

If you are the one giving the feedback, stick to the set of behavioral competencies defined by the company. Do not interrupt the receiver while he is giving his self description. Keep an open mind, listen empathetically and wait for your turn to talk. Ask insightful questions.

A person is his best personal judge. A self description will demonstrate how the employee perceives himself and how healthy his self image is.

Commend and recommend

Even the favorite employee is not beyond reproach. As far as work is concerned, no one is a perfect creation. A person has his pluses and minuses. If you are the favorite employee, do not delude yourself with the thought that the one giving you feedback will not have anything negative to say. On the contrary, your political standing in the office may even invite criticism. Be careful.

Both giver and receiver have to enumerate the employee’s behavioral strengths. The affirmation will reinforce desirable behaviors and encourage their continuance. Likewise, areas for improvement have to be pointed out. The merits and demerits will produce a balanced picture.

Plan, implement, monitor

Don’t leave the process hanging by ending it with the talkfest. Aside from documenting the process and the result, there has to be a solid sustaining action so that the feedback process does not become unfinished business.

If you are the receiver, it is your responsibility to design and follow an action plan that details actions on how to institute behavioral changes. The plan is based on the feedback result. Share your action plan with the boss and ask for support that can come in the form of training, mentoring and coaching. Stick to your plan and monitor your progress.

Who and when?

Who gives and receives feedback? If it is serious about developing leaders and improving its competitive advantage, a company should subject everyone, regardless of position, to feedback. Teams also benefit from feedback. The 360 degree feedback is a dynamic leadership mechanism that allows a person to learn from the observation of people around him.

As to timeliness, a semestral or annual formal feedback session is recommended. The intervals give the receiver ample time to make meaningful behavioral changes. Informal feedback can be slipped during conversations as long as privacy and confidentiality are ensured.

Although it can be accomplished through email communication or by accomplishing a prescribed form (never resort to using a suggestion box!), a person to person feedback session is the best approach. The dynamics of personal interchange generates a wealth of insight. Besides, a lot of emotion is invested in the feedback process. Regardless of method, professional etiquette has to be maintained throughout.

Feedback is not an occasion for power tripping or bullying. It should be based only on actual observations not on assumptions clouded by animosity between giver and receiver.

Properly managed, feedback will enhance effectiveness at the individual, team and organizational levels.