Feedback is an important tool and it’s used to support behavioural changes in the workplace while supporting positive behaviour. It’s crucial that employers give feedback from time to time to identify areas of improvement and ensure that employees live up to their potential. However, it’s not just about giving feedback. You also have to be open to receiving positive feedback. In this article, we’ll cover this topic in some detail. Let’s begin.
Positive Feedback
Before we jump into how to give and receive feedback, we have to identify what positive feedback actually means. It’s about recognizing and communicating employees’ strengths and successes. Receiving and giving positive feedback is crucial for all stakeholders. It helps people identify where their strengths lie, and where they need improvement. Moreover, it also helps to create a positive environment in the workplace.
Giving Employee Feedback
Here are some tips to give employees positive feedback in a way that’s sure to make a long-lasting impression. You can give effective positive feedback with technology like Peero
Be Specific
Research shows that employees are more likely to grow when they get immediate feedback that is specific. So avoid using vague phrases that don’t indicate what exactly your employee has done. Instead, outline what he has done that impressed you so much. The thing is, what you don’t say is just as important as what you say. So if you give vague feedback, you can be sure that the true message might get lost somewhere and you won’t be able to make your point.
Focus on Effort
When you give positive feedback to your employees, focus on their efforts. You have to show them that the amount of effort they are putting in to accomplish their tasks are not going unnoticed. If you don’t focus on that, it might create problems because employees won’t be focusing on growth.
Be Timely
Another tactic of giving positive feedback is to give it time. Here’s the thing: several managers only give feedback at the time of evaluation or something along those lines. That’s not how it should be. Managers should give positive feedback whenever the situation demands instead of waiting for the right time. You don’t want your employees to feel that their hard work is going unnoticed. That would just raise feelings of resentment.
Personalize It
Some employees prefer getting positive feedback in front of everyone. They want their achievement to be celebrated and for their peers to know that they are doing a good job. On the other hand, some employees prefer not to get their feedback in front of everyone else—even if it is a positive one. In this case, you have to take the employee aside and let them know how they have performed. That’s sure to make them feel more comfortable.
How to Receive Feedback
It’s not just about giving feedback. You also have to be open to the option of receiving positive feedback. Here’s how you can receive positive feedback.
Accept it
You must fight the urge to downplay your performance. Many people are simply too hard on themselves. They don’t accept the positive and continue to dwell on what they did wrong. That’s a wrong approach. You might feel that you are being humble, but the truth is that you are downplaying your achievement. You have to be confident and own up to the fact that you deserve it.
Respond Positively
Be sure to respond positively to the reviewer. The best thing to do is to thank your manager. If you’re worried that you might sound overly confident, think of all the hard work that you put in to get here. For instance, if your manager compliments you on how well you have mastered the new software, instead of toning it down, you can say thank you and tell them how hard you worked to learn the new software. Don’t dilute your feedback with random excuses. It’s your moment and you deserve it.
Extract Information
It’s not enough to only accept the positive feedback, you also have to learn how to use it to your advantage. That means extracting all the relevant information. Think of the performance that your manager really liked and try to replicate that more often. If you don’t feel you have sufficient information, you might want to dig in a bit deeper. Ask your manager for more information. For instance, if your manager says that they really liked the work you did on the last presentation. You can talk about what exactly they liked and take it from there. If you feel that you need more tips, you can ask your manager for more constructive feedback. Perhaps arrange a meeting one-on-one to see where you are going.
Own Your Mistakes
We all make mistakes, that’s a fact. In fact, as human beings, we cannot grow unless we don’t make mistakes and learn from them. So when you’re given positive feedback, you might be told of a mistake you made here and there. Instead of shutting it down, you should acknowledge that, apologize for it and try to do better. It’s one of the ways to move forward.
Be Grateful
Above all, be grateful that you have received feedback. A lot of employees don’t get the relevant feedback they need to grow. So if you’re getting it from your employer, be grateful as it is a chance to grow. Show your manager that you have heard and understood the whole thing and share your ideas for improvement. Tell them that you will consider their advice and work on bringing changes. When you show them that you are grateful, they are more likely to give you better feedback in the future.
It might be tough to plan out feedback. It might be even tougher to ensure that you are giving the right feedback and that the employee is taking it well. However, it is one of those things that have to be done if you’re planning to make yourself and your workplace better for the future.