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.

The good in goodbye: Prolong your professional shelf life with a good resignation

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(Published in the Job Market-Working People section of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Oct 15, 2006, Sunday)

By Roel Andag

Contributor

KING Henry VIII sent two of his six wives to the executioner for beheading. Even if Queen Anne Boleyn and Lady Jane Seymour may have denied in their farewell message any imputed wrongdoing, they both hailed the king and wished him long life, perhaps in the hope of royal clemency. Resigned as they were to their fate, they exemplified graciousness worthy of emulation of anyone who wishes to resign.

Don't treat your resignation as a date with the guillotine. Instead, use the experience to sharpen your career blade. Your goodbye can be your welcome mat to other opportunities such as sustained relationships, job leads, and income prospects.

After working nonstop for 10 years, I decided to take a brief break from the 8 to 5. I resigned, with the decision to concentrate on my consulting so that I can enjoy some rest while earning at the same time. Here are some tips that can turn your resignation into a career-sustaining move:

1. Submit your resignation at least 30 days before your intended date of departure. You are complying with the Labor Code and demonstrating good faith to the company as well. Do not broadcast your resignation. There is time for that.

2. E-mail your colleagues a personal farewell note a day prior to your departure. Thank them sincerely. The note should never exceed three brief paragraphs.

3. Avoid emotional notes. They suck the energy out of the reader. Try light and easy.

4. Include your forwarding address, e-mail, and phone numbers. If you have a website or blog, include the link and ask them to visit the sites. Make sure that your website and blog will help propel your career not jeopardize it. No offensive content, please.

5. Inform them of what you intend to do post-resignation. The best activities are consulting and volunteering. It tells them that you intend to remain productive while enjoying some down time.

6. Let them know if you're looking for a job. Ask for referrals.

7. If you resigned because another company has hired you and are proud of it, then mention it. But be aware beforehand of your new company's nondisclosure requirement. Don't blow your cover if you joined the Secret Service.

8. If you have pending applications, let your prospect companies know that you have resigned and that you'll be ready to join your next company. This works especially when you have been short-listed and their decision has not been forthcoming. Do not sound as if you resigned because you are anticipating that one of your prospect companies will hire you readily. Observe subtlety and delicadeza. See No. 7.

9. If they reply, respond in kind. Tell the sender how his or her message affects you. See No. 3.

10. Leave an "out of office" auto-reply in your official e-mail so that letter senders will not be misled. See No. 4.

11. If you have a rift with a colleague, see him personally for a pleasant closure.

For these tips to work, it is assumed that you performed well in your job, related well with your colleagues, and are leaving the company under friendly circumstances.

Coping with office noise

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(Published in the Job Market-Working People section of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, September 26, 2006, Sunday)

By Roel Andag

Contributor

Create your own bubble in a corporate wild

YOUR own office, with its own door, is your bubble that insulates you from sounds of the corporate wilderness -- dings, rings, deets, taps, whirrs, and office babble. Your office bubble is your island of peace -- a sanctuary that others can penetrate only with your permission.

What if you do not have an enclosed office but rather a cubicle with chest-level walls and surround-sound feature right in the middle of noise central?

Our response will vary depending on the stimulus, primarily the nature of the job and office culture. Kristina, a former call center team leader, escapes to the sleeping lounge or an empty conference room to shut off the noise. Rochel, a high school teacher says: "I focus on the task at hand. It's very difficult because it's as if I'm in the middle of an ocean with all the waves crashing on me." Ramil, who heads the research department of an NGO, tries his best not to let office noise overwhelm him. Nieva, a director in a government agency, insists on keeping communication lines open at all levels of the organization.

Perhaps, only the most jaded will not get a bit distracted from time to time. The faint-hearted might self-destruct.

How do you build your office bubble? How do you keep it from bursting? How do you regulate interaction without offending colleagues?

Some tips:

1. Listen to soothing music. Use earphones.

2. Punch in early so you can enjoy some calm moments in the morning, no matter how brief. You can also go out early to pursue after-office interests that reenergize you.

3. Write down your agenda before talking to an officemate about official business.This also applies when making phone calls.

4. When the conversation strays, politely ask the other party to excuse you so that you can finish a task and beat the deadline.

5. Prioritize your tasks. Attend to e-mails and phone calls first. People tend to be energetic and clear-minded in the morning.

6. Declutter your desk. Organize with boxes, folders, and a memory stick.

7. Make an effort to interact with colleagues only during lunch and coffee breaks. This helps establish in their minds when you block off quality time with them. Managing your interactions, you will be attuned to office goings-on while being less prone to getting involved in office politics. Overall, this will strengthen your professional reputation.

8. Officemates sometimes get carried away. When they laugh too loud or when the guy in the adjacent cubicle blasts his music, pick up the phone receiver and pretend you're having a conversation with a pretend client. Politely ask your officemates to tone it down. On occasions, play your own music. Use earphones.

9. Discuss your concern with your supervisor. Emphasize the adverse effect of the noise on your productivity. If this does not solve the problem, seek help from the HR manager.

10. If all else fails, resign and look for a workplace with a meditative or monastic atmosphere -- perhaps a library, spa, or retreat center.

Recently, it was reported that a man threatened to commit suicide by jumping from a high billboard on Edsa. Authorities set up nets on the ground to soften his fall and save his life. The man descended from his suicidal perch after hours of negotiations. Perhaps he realized the nets and cushions beneath him will prevent his death. The police superintendent told reporters that they no longer asked the man the reason for his death wish. They respect his privacy, the police official said.

Office noise, especially at intolerable levels, erodes task motivation and poses health threats. Don't wait until you are ready to jump off the edge for safety nets to be spread beneath you.

Building an office bubble may not be easy. And even if you did, it might burst anytime. But once you do, and are able to keep it puncture-free, your 8 to 5 life will be less stressful and more enjoyable.

(The author is the program and communications manager of Schering Philippine Corporation. Feedback at r_andag@yahoo.com.)