Feedback, there is a time and place for everything!

I wish I would have known! I have always been such a big picture thinker, I would casually miss the little details and make mistakes. I didn't catch them until way after the fact. Sometimes I wouldn't catch it at all. It wasn't until one year during performance appraisals that my manager took out a notebook and read all of the things I had done wrong throughout the year. I thought it was just little mistakes but it turned out to be the way I prioritized myself, waiting until the last minute to complete a project and so on. I was in COMPLETE SHOCK and felt spied on, and I definitely felt like I had to triple check everything I did or else. If my manager would have pulled me to the side and had a conversation regarding the mistakes right then and there, or had suggestions on how I could improve my prioritization, the performance review conversation would have had a different tone. At that point I didn't trust my manager and I was performing out of paranoia rather than focusing on my objectives and I was completely disengaged. 

What is Timely Feedback? 

Timely feedback is what encourages the learning process at work. It also empowers employees to choose differently and lets them be in control of their development as feedback is meant to be a catalyst for change. So, why timely–because feedback can only be powerful if it is relevant. 

Opportunities For Change: 

People managers and employees are encouraged to look at their relationships as partnerships. It's in the organizations best interest to hire people managers that have a learning mindset. As partnerships create the potential for increased engagement and productivity. 

How do we form partnerships in the workplace? 

Set up consistent checkpoints: Oftentimes, standing check-ins and supporting documents will empower employees to prepare and be prepared for items that may have fallen short on the agenda each week. 

Key Vocabulary:

Accountability, empowerment, proactivity, leadership, staying curious, creates autonomy, support 

Ways of being to Support in Partnership: Open, vulnerable, compassionate, staying curious, accepting 

● Ask good open ended questions, stay curious, and have a goal outcome in mind to stay grounded and intentional throughout your meetings. 

● Encourage teamwork, and independent departmental team building activities.

● Check ins allows for authentic relationship building. Managers are able to gauge employees' level of commitment and how aligned they are to the organizational values and mission. 

● Conversations are also about recognition and celebrating during milestones.

● Timely feedback not only helps the employee shift mindsets but also lets them lead in their roles.

● They get to take a stab at a leadership conversation within themselves as they gauge their performance objectively. 

What's in it for the Organization? 

Timely Feedback re

tains top talent and creates a pathway for learning and development initiatives and benefits. Timely feedback also creates the structure and foundation for coaching rather than performance management which transforms the culture into a learning and development organization.