Typical of Professor Bonica’s courses, we are consistently being given opportunities to practice real-world skills in the classroom. This time, we were able to provide both positive and negative feedback to members of our semester-long project group. As I wrote out different feedback for my colleagues, I began to think about what I could say that would really benefit them. I did not want to give generic feedback that would prompt nothing more than skimming over it and a “That’s nice” response. I want my team to feel like I picked up on their unique strengths and provided valuable insight into weaknesses. Considering this will not be the last time I do this, it is a valuable skill to have. With dreams of being an administrator in my future, I foresee many times where I will have to evaluate future employees. I would like to consistently provide feedback that is useful and meaningful. How do I achieve this though? My first thought was the obvious: give people ways to improve upon their weaknesses. Although this is extremely important and could be the topic of a whole other blog post, it is not what I decided to focus on. After reading an article on the topic, I began to really consider how powerful positive feedback can be. Kristi Hedges writes for Forbes about “How to Give Concise Positive Feedback” in the workplace. She outlines her reasoning for why positive feedback is just as important to employee success as constructive criticism.
Many people may think that positive feedback is nothing more than a pat on the back or a way to soften the blow of criticism. This is not true though. Hedges writes “And while it is necessary to provide constructive criticism to help employees better themselves, providing too much can demoralize and create a negative spiral of disengagement. It’s the positive feedback that reminds people what they should be doing more of, and how to bring their strengths to bear” (Hedges, 2015). Positive feedback is a great way to show employees what they are doing well. One of Hedges’ tips is to be specific. By telling the person exactly what they did well in detail, they will have an easier job knowing what to repeat in the future. Another tip I really liked was making sure to keep positive feedback separate from negative feedback. If you try and sandwich the two together, the positive feedback loses it's power because it seems like a consolation prize. That or the message could be completely lost. Also, Hedges discusses how it is valuable to make positive feedback visible to everyone in the organization. Making praise visible allows other coworkers to congratulate each other and see what work is valued in the organization. I have noticed that Professor Bonica will often do this. He shows us exemplary work from our classmates which validates the student on their achievement, but also provides an example of what we should try and work towards. Overall, positive feedback is a great way to build community and make people feel good about the work they are doing. When balanced with constructive criticism when needed, positive feedback is a valuable tool in the workplace!
Link to Hedges’ article:
Praise in public, criticize/reprimand/counsel in private. Always a smart strategy to follow.
ReplyDeleteOne reason: humans are "pack" or "herd" animals, psychologically predisposed to live in groups. Our primitive brainstems recognizes that there is strength in numbers (i.e., greater chance of survival against predators). Public praise increases both the recipient's self-image and their perception of how they're viewed by their reference group. Most likely it also increases how their reference actually views them and desires them in the group.
This is one reason the child overlooked or intentionally not invited to a classmate's birthday party in elementary school feels so crushed. They can't articulate the actual reason, but the feeling of not being included in the group is wreaking havoc with the survival instinct programmed in their primitive brainstem.
If you haven't yet taken them, I highly recommend a course in Organizational Behavior as well as Social Psychology. If your curriculum offers it and you can squeeze it in, a course in Physiological Psychology. Those will be huge investments in deepening your understanding of what makes people tick. Might lead you to wanting to study Behavioral Economics. A gift idea for your Christmas list: the book "Nudge" by recent Nobel laureate Richard Thaler. He gets into the "herd mentality."
This makes a lot of sense! One thing I also think that could stem from public praise is people being less likely to begin to resent their boss behind their back. I feel like if a boss is constantly criticizing people in public, their employees may form that herd mentality against their supervisor. Just something I thought of when reading your comment! I have not taken any of those courses yet, unfortunately. Learning more about this topic would be valuable. Understanding behavior and instincts like herd mentality will only develop stronger leadership skills.
DeleteI'll add that to my list of books to get! As always, thank you for your recommendations. I'll have lots to keep me busy during Winter break!
Great post - I am going to check out that article. We will talk a lot more about this sort of thing in 722 if you take it.
ReplyDeleteThank you! That will definitely be a valuable discussion.
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