In our text Brown stated, “In
contrast, giving feedback on performance without having previously set goals
does not lead to improved performance” (Brown, 2011, p 321). This made me think
of when I was the cheerleading coach many years ago for Embry Riddle
Aeronautical University. I was young and had never led a team before so I was
learning as I went. As the coach I had
no formal training and had to figure it out along the way. It was my second year of coaching and we were
at the end of the season and I wrote up a survey to give out to the cheerleaders
as I wanted to get some feedback on how I was doing, what was good, what was
bad.
That survey was a huge eye
opener for me! It was both positive and
negative feedback but mostly negative. I
was shocked and taken aback by how they felt about me and my coaching style. It was a hard lesson to learn but one that
was needed. They provided me with
feedback as well as suggestions on how to make things better. I spent the
summer thinking of ways to improve how I approached my cheerleaders and I also
set some goals for us to obtain by the end of the next year. It was obvious to the cheerleaders coming
back that I took their suggestions and criticisms to heart to make the program so
much better for both them and for me. This
was the start of really taking feedback both good and bad and learning from it.
I found Brown’s opinion on
generational differences in the amount of feedback desired by employees to be interesting.
He stated, “Eighty five percent of younger workers wanted frequent and candid
performance feedback compared to only 50 percent for older workers” (Brown, 2011,
p 322). Part of this goes back to how
much more interaction there is these days between managers and subordinates. There is more communication from both sides
and it is mostly encouraged. In my
department, our older employees seek feedback almost more than the younger
employees. A part of this I believe is
that the younger employees grew up with these technologies such as the internet
and smart devices so they have more confidence in that area whereas the older
employees don’t have the same confidence so they want more feedback on how they
are doing in certain areas. They want
this feedback from their managers and not so much from their coworkers. The younger employees tend to ask how they
are doing and what they can do better. I
like that they have the drive to want to improve their skills and they take criticism
well for the most part.
Giving feedback is important in
order for one to improve and learn from these lessons. The same goes for getting feedback, it is the
only way to grow and understand how to be better. In the article, 6 Steps to Setting Goals that Improve Performance, they explain 6
steps that can help one improve their performance by setting goals and these
include 1) setting clear, reasonable goals, 2) identifies the behaviors that
are critical for performance, 3) establishing potential rewards and discipline,
4) continuing to develop abilities to enhance performance, 5) getting accurate,
timely feedback and 6) administering rewards as promised and celebrate a job
well done. When giving feedback these
goals are good to keep in mind. You can
help your employees improve by getting them to set goals that they can attain
that will push and challenge them as well. When I give feedback I try to put
myself in the other person’s shoes and ask myself what I would to know. So when I give feedback I take a positive
approach. What was done well? How was the issue approached? What could be done to improve? Is there a better, easier, faster way to get
the same or better results? These questions
are ones I keep in mind when giving my feedback. This works for my professionally and
personally.
I know for me personally I like
to have specific goals and getting feedback that will help me become more
engaged, improve my performance and overall help me learn more about myself and
how I can make changes for the better. I have to say that there are a few
drawbacks to setting specific goals and that is personal disappointment. What if I can’t reach my goal or I don’t do a
good job in getting to my goals. This could cause unneeded stress that is not
necessary. From this I can take that I
have to continue to set goals that will push me, challenge me and make me a
better person. I will not always reach
my initial goals but when I don’t I know that I can learn from what kept me
from those goals and move forward from it as a better person.
References:
Brown, D.R. (2011). An
experiential approach to organization development (8th ed.).Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall
Shake off the grind (2010,
September 9). 6 Steps to Setting Goals that Improve Performance | Shake
Off the Grind. Retrieved from http://shakeoffthegrind.com/extraordinary-goals/6-steps-to-setting-goals-that-improve-performance
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