BLUF: I've been given some feedback in my annual appraisal: when I announce I am about to use a "manager tool" (ask if I can give feedback) my directs feel its odd. To paraphrase I think they think they are being put though a gimmicky process. Should I drop step 1 from the model?
I rolled out O3's when I took over the team 10 months ago and (after some initial resistance form 1 or 2 in the team to yet another meeting) it was plain sailing. I didn't say it was a Manager tool, I just said this is how I run the team and it has worked well for me and it is how I will run the team.
I started using feedback but at the conference in Jan I discovered 5 a day was a suitable target (not 5 a week which was probably a good week). On my return form the conference I announced in my staff meeting that I would be rolling out the feedback model using the Manager Tools slides (the team knew I was at the conference). There was some light hearted banter about a new management thing and comments about asking for week 12 off so they could avoid getting the 12 weeks of stored negative feedback. In spite of my D tendancies I let it slide because I'm happy with light hearted if we get results.
I used the poker chip tool in the weeks following the roll out and that got questions from those who noticed them which led to questions about quotes etc. I was chuffed to get to 4 bits of feedback delivered in an unbroken run in just 4 weeks (still not managed 5 days on the run of 5 bits a day).
Fast forward to my performance review. My box is please with my results. The project is no where we had hoped it would be but it has been a challenging year and he fells I've made a really good job of it. In a review of my peers on my pay level I am in the top 20%.
At the end of the review I got 2 bits of advice - 1 related to a risk that materialised that I could have handled a little differently and with hindsight I agree.
As part of the appraisal process my manager spoke with my team specifically asking about my leadership as we are trying to position me for a promotion in the next year or so. The input from a couple of the team was they think it is odd that I announce the techniques I am going to use to manage them and so perhaps I should try and tone it down. He is not a MT manager but his feedback was sort of in the model so my response was that I would look in to changing. I felt the need to expand so I asked if it was the can I give you some feedback or the announcing I was going to be doing it in the staff meeting. He was not sure so I explained the "can I give you some feedback" is to over come the role power issue and and announcing it in the staff meeting was so they would know what is coming. He re-iterated that some of the team are uncomfortable with me being so open about the techniques (which if he was a MT manager would have felt a little shot across the bow) so I reiterated that I'd look at changing.
So the question is what do I do. So far I have given very little negative feedback and it is a pretty good team so I'd expect to be giving 10 times more good than negative so do I just drop step 1?
If I drop step 1 I run the risk that i delver some negative feedback when they are not expecting it. If I keep step 1 for negative feedback I make it different to positive feedback.
I have the same issue
I'm interested to hear what other's thoughts are. One of my directs comments - someone who does not like change and is a high S/C (he bottles things up then blows up)... "Its nice you read all these blogs but I could go on the internet myself and find someone saying the opposite".
I've been wondering, rather than announcing changes in how I am going to behave, just do it and see what happens. I would make a slight exception with the O3s because they have to be scheduled, but I would probably just very breezily say I want to start meeting with you once a week to do an update, we can trade notes and make sure we are on the right track (and then implement 03s without being so concrete about the structure).
"Its nice you read all
"Its nice you read all these blogs but I could go on the internet myself and find someone saying the opposite".
There is an adjusting feedback-worthy moment right there - if not multiple....
Thanks,
George
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Different opener?
Have you considered using a different opener, so instead of "Can I give you some feedback?" you could say "Have a you got a moment?" or "Can we talk for a sec?" or something you feel more comfortable with? Perhaps you could change it occasionally so your team don't feel they are part of a gimmicky process?
Also I am interested where you are based, is it the USA or UK or somewhere else? I have talked to my team in the UK about starting feedback and they were totally against it, seeing it as very gimmicky. There was also a concern that as we work in an open plan office where everyone can hear what is being said to anyone else, that they would be very uncomfortable about feedback other than in O3s. Therefore we only discuss feedback issues in weekly O3s and not in the strict MT full feedback style, more like the shorter style.
I announce changes (e.g. re-launching more regular O3s) in team meetings or in O3s and really play down the emphasis, so as not to appear to be "copying something from the internet" or bringing in a "new management thing". So I will mention what I am implementing (e.g. weekly O3s where they had drifted to being monthly) and then implement it. Announcing/launching changes like this more formally meet a lot of resistance.
Thanks for the response. I'm
Thanks for the response.
I'm in Canada. I'd agree that a modification along the lines you suggested probably makes the most sense. Basically, as I suggested above, I'm more likely in the future to just start doing stuff as opposed to "announcing it", which probably emphasizes role power a bit too much.
Can I share something with you?
I've found, "Can I share something with you?" rolls off the tongue easier for me. Importantly, I use the same opener for both positive and negative feedback. Also, I 'm careful to always smile, look them in the eye, and avoid a wrinkled brow or narrowing of the eyes when delivering negative feedback (this is harder than it might seem).
I've found that body language is half the battle in preventing the "I'm being criticized" reaction. I try to keep it light, with an open posture (arms unfolded, palms turned slightly upward and gentle hand/arm gestures to emphasize main points).
When I started using the feedback model about 2 years ago, I did not make a general announcement in the staff meeting, but instead took a few minutes of "my" 10 minutes in my O3s. I've always tried to emphasize that negative feedback is just course correction, not deconstruction, and I feel my team appreciates the difference.
Hope this helps,
-John
From the UK
I'm from the UK. I've just got back from a diving trip hence my delay in responding.
I avoid negative feedback if I can't do it with a smile - so I've not delivered a lot of negative :-)
I've been playing today with different ways of giving feedbck
Cheers
Mike
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Introducing change & alternatives to giving feedback
I agree with experimenting with alternatives: i.e., "can I share something with you?" "can I tell you something" That works for me very well.
Regarding the formal rollouts....I practiced feedback without doing a formal rollout and introduction to the team. I feel it was a mistake in retrospect. I have since reset and formally introduced it in a team meeting. Post-formal rollout, I found that my directs were far more comfortable with the model especially due to its future orientation. That is, prior to rollout, they related to feedback in the same old way - as discussing the past. It would raise their defensiveness.
Once I shared that all feedaback is about the future, it made great sense to them and they are more apt to accept the feedback and move on. I still do about 10 positives for any 1 negative (or readjusting) so it's not like they are getting much negative feedback to begin with. But, I found they are much more relaxed with the model once explained.
I have made it through the 5 bits per day for 5 days straight (all positive). Everyone is getting very used to receiving feedback around me.
Michael