Feedback - Confirming the Good News

The feedback I'm talking about here isn't some sort offormalised appraisal that takes place with your team membersevery month, or every six months or once a year. Thisfeedback happens continually and it happens when you see orhear something you want to give feedback on. The trick is -keep it simple.

If you see or hear something you do like - you tell the teammember about it. If you see or hear something you don't likeor feel could be done better - you tell the team memberabout it and you coach them.

Confirming Feedback is about giving the good news. It'sabout confirming to your team member that you approve ofwhatever it is you've seen them do or heard them say. It's acompliment or a thank you.

It also seems to be something that some managers have greatdifficulty with. They take the attitude that - "why tellpeople that you're pleased with them when they're only doingwhat they're paid to do in the first place."

A great deal of this attitude stems from managers believingthey having to be big and tough and macho. And managersdon't do all that touchy-feely stuff, saying thank you isfor wimps.

If you still feel a bit like that, think for a moment howyou felt if a manager ever gave you a genuine compliment ora thank you for a job well done. I bet you felt pretty goodand probably motivated to do even better. I'm also sure youdidn't think your boss was a big softy or that he lackedcourage; probably the opposite.

Successful managers realise that almost everyone reactspositively to Confirming Feedback. They feel better aboutthemselves and they feel motivated to repeat the behaviour.There is a saying that says - "You get more of what you reward."

Michael LeBoeuf tells this fable in his book 'The GreatestManagement Principle in the World.' -

A man went fishing one day. He looked over the side of hisboat and saw a snake with a frog in its mouth. Feeling sorryfor the frog, he reached down, gently took the frog from thesnake and set the frog free. But then he felt sorry for thesnake. He looked around the boat, but he had no food. All hehad was a bottle of whisky; so he opened the bottle and gavethe snake a few shots. The snake want off happy, the frogwas happy and the man was happy to have performed such agood deed. He thought everything was fine until about tenminutes passed and he heard something knock against the sideof the boat. With stunned disbelief, the fisherman lookeddown and saw the snake was back with two frogs!

So if you tell one of your team that you like the way theyhave completed some aspect of their work, then you'll findthat they continue to do that work in the same way orprobably even better.

However, your feedback must be genuine.

Sometimes on a seminar, I ask the group - "Who likesreceiving compliments?" Often only a minority will put uptheir hand. I then ask them - "Who likes receiving a genuinecompliment?" This time almost everyone puts up their hand.People often feel that a compliment isn't really meant andthey sometimes feel a bit patronised. That's why it'simportant that your Confirming Feedback is genuine and it

sounds genuine. Don't say it if you don't mean it!

Sam Walton the founder of Wal-Mart once said - "Nothing else can substitute for a few well chosen, welltimed, sincere words of praise. They're absolutely free andworth a fortune."

Confirming Feedback is worth a fortune to you in terms ofmotivating your team and achieving your goals and targets.

Discover how you can generate more business by motivatingyour team!Alan Fairweather is the author of "How to get More Salesby Motivating Your Team" This book is packed with practicalthings you can do to get the best out of your people . Click here now http://www.howtogetmoresales.com

http://www.alanfairweather.com