Performance Feedback: Don’t Just Say “Good Job”
If you are a people manager, you should be familiar with the concept of performance feedback. If you are not familiar with this topic, or are not actively providing it to people on your team, then read this blog. You need to start providing performance feedback, because it is a key skill employed by great managers, and will be a frequent tool in solving behavior and performance problems.
Performance Feedback is the act of discussing with your team members whether they are performing according to expectations, and what they should do differently or keep doing. It is typically given individually, but can be done as a team, as long as the feedback is on the level of the team, not the individual. Consider that an advanced skill. Let’s look at individual performance feedback for now:
When giving performance feedback, focus on what, specifically, the team member did, whether it met the standard of performance you were expecting, and what the team member should do differently or continue doing. Here’s an example of poor performance feedback:
Manager: “You did a great job.”
While this is a good example of positive reinforcement, this is a bad example of performance feedback. Read more
Manager by Design: Welcome
Welcome to the Manager by Design blog. This blog was created to help team managers improve in their ability to run teams. I’m talking about all sorts of managers, in any industry and at any level. This includes those just starting out as managers and those who have been doing it for years. I have seen too many managers struggle to run teams well. I have seen too many managers “freestyle” their way through the management tasks, and ignore others entirely.
Being a manager is tough, and managers develop their practices mostly through ad-hoc means. Management practices, whether good or bad, tend to be by accident rather than by design. It’s time this change and we develop a new field I’m pioneering, “Management Design.” The idea is that we can create and develop great managers by design rather than by accident.
If you are a manager of a team— subscribe to this blog to get regular tips and ideas for improving your management skills. These will be practical tips and concepts that you can apply when you’re ready.
For those of you in Human Resources, and are charged with Management Development (and even if you aren’t), read this blog for how you can – by design – improve how your managers are using the techniques and applying the skills necessary to be great managers.
