The HR/IR Solutions Guide for Small Businesses Wollongong: Providing Meaningful Managerial Feedback
Employees are hungry for feedback from their leaders, managers and peers. They want to gain insights that advance their abilities and future potential. The best way to give meaningful feedback is for it to be frequent, focused and future-oriented.
Fast feedback energises employees and gives them the confidence to make real-time performance adjustments which give you a competitive edge. This energisation translates into a generally more motivated working environment which creates a culture of excellence in your business. Finally, with a competitive edge and a motivated workforce, employees will be more likely to stay within your business and help it grow.
Meaningful feedback is frequent. Effective feedback has an expiration date. Feedback should be a common occurrence — for most jobs, a few times per week. People remember their most recent experiences best, so feedback is most valuable when it occurs immediately after an action.
Meaningful feedback is focused. Ineffective feedback is vague and doesn’t inform change. For instance, ranking all team members on the same general measures won’t capture each individual’s unique strengths and day-to-day work.
Meaningful feedback is future-oriented. Harping on an employee’s prior blunders is anything but motivating. Managers can inspire growth by emphasising the current moment and what’s ahead — recognizing employees’ accomplishments and removing roadblocks for tomorrow.
