Hi, I'm Ray Sheen.
Now, let's talk about using feedback while coaching.
You know effective, positive and negative feedback is invaluable, but poor
feedback will derail your project team or the green belts you're trying to coach.
First, some general principles on Giving and Receiving Feedback.
Here are some ground rules for giving feedback.
Timely and focused.
People know what they did right and wrong and
can use that to guide their future actions.
Weave positive and negative feedback together.
I do an exercise in some classes where we have four volunteers
attempt to solve the same puzzle.
In one case, the rest of class, which does know the answer, provides no feedback.
And in another case, they only provide positive feedback.
In the third case, they only provide negative feedback.
And in the final case, they provide both positive and negative feedback.
With the caveat that the individuals trust the feedback that they are given,
we find that there is not much difference in time between the no feedback,
positive feedback only and negative feedback only.
However, when both positive and the negative feedback are provided together,
the problem is solved correctly in a fraction of the time.
Also, be prepared with specific feedback and recommendations,
and follow up on a regular basis.
Receiving feedback can also be a challenge.
You may need to coach some of your green belts on how to receive feedback.
A key is, to take emotion out of the equation as much as possible.
That means disregard your ego and keep an open mind.
It's not attacking you personally.
It's improving the skill set.
So relax, breathe and
consider what actions you need to do first in light of this feedback.
Let's dig a little deeper into the positive feedback and
review some guidelines.
The purpose of positive feedback is to reinforce good actions and decisions.
Don't assume that they know they did something right, tell them.
Since you want to reinforce good actions and
decisions, let them know what action or decision has earned the praise.
Tailor your comments to reflect the circumstances.
That means, you want to have facts or
examples that illustrate the good work that you are commending.
You want to make sure that they understand what they should replicate in the future.
A good rule of thumb is to compliment someone
as soon as you see them doing something that deserves recognition.
The old saying is, catch someone doing something right and
immediately acknowledge it.
This creates a much tighter connection in the minds of the individual and
those around who observe it.
Which leads to the next point.
Public praise is good.
It's good for the individual to be recognized among their peers and
it's good for the peers to have an example to point to.
But be careful to match the level of praise to the accomplishment.
Massively over or under recognition leads to sense of insincerity.
They feel that you are doing the praise to check a box,
not because you value their contribution.
If you can, personalize it in some way so
that the individual knows that you really have noticed it.
But don't personalize it so that it turns into being praise about yourself and
giving the other person an acknowledgment for some small assist that they provided.
Finally, words are great but something substantial is also, so if you can,
put your money where your mouth is and provide a reward of some type.
Now, we'll switch gears and take a look at negative feedback.
Negative feedback, if taken and received in the right way,
is a powerful force for improvement.
You eliminate a defect or source of variation, which is good.
Many of the guidelines for giving negative feedback are similar to those for
positive feedback.
So for instance, know why you're providing the feedback and tailor your comments.
Also, have examples or illustrations that demonstrate your point.
Provide the feedback as soon as practical, to minimize the problems
that the behavior is creating and reducing the likelihood of developing bad habits.
Negative feedback should be given in private though, not in public, so
as in order not to humiliate the person.
I know that for some people, giving negative feedback is uncomfortable.
They don't like to distress or criticize others.
But for the negative feedback to be useful, it needs to be specific and
not obscure.
For instance, telling someone that they just need to be more of a team player
is not useful feedback.
They thought they were working with the team.
Instead, tell them that when they criticize everyone else's work without
providing any positive comments, the rest of the team feels
that the individual is just trying to undermine everyone else's efforts.
Which leads to a key principle when providing negative feedback.
Always provide a recommendation for what they should be doing differently,
going forward.
Finally, empathize with them.
They may feel that they have been bullied or belittled.
Let them know that they are valued and
that you have their best interest at heart.
That didn't change the facts, so don't let them off the hook for
inappropriate actions.
This brings us to our final point, building trust.
Good feedback will build trust with the green belts you are coaching
because they will become convinced that you have positive intent, ability, and
character, and that you are trying to help them achieve their goal.
Honest feed back, both positive and negative, delivered in the manner that
we've outlined in the previous slides, will enhance trust.
You know, trust comes about based upon the answer of the following questions and
good feedback will provide positive answers to each of these questions.
Am I comfortable interacting with you?
Do you treat me with respect when providing feedback?
Do you have positive intent?
Is your intent to help me, or to use me to help yourself?
Is the feedback to improve my performance, or to give you a boost?
Do you understand my point of view?
Are you empathizing when providing negative feedback?
Do you add value to me?
Do you recommend actions that will help me achieve my goals or priorities?
Do you act with integrity?
Can I rely on you to do what you will say when you say you will do it?
Can I always believe what you tell me?
As a black belt coach,
you'll find numerous opportunities to provide feedback.
Learn how to deliver both positive and negative feedback well.