Feedback is one of the Top 3 factors that motivate people at work. The majority of staff wants to know when they're doing well, and when they could be doing better.
There is no doubt, that giving people feedback is absolutely vital to ensure motivated staff who deliver results.
Whether you want to reinforce positive behaviour or change unacceptable behaviour, there are certain steps you need to follow to make it effective.
- Do it ASAP – When you see or hear something, you do or don't like, you need to say something right away. If it's positive feedback it's not much use saying something months later.
It also makes sense to give constructive feedback as soon as you see, or hear something you don't like. If you don't do it right away, then the person will assume that you didn't notice, or that it doesn't matter, or that you don't care. - Do it in private – This seems like the most obvious thing to say but I still see managers giving a member of their team some positive feedback in front of other people be they colleagues or customers. Of course, it's usually more of a reprimand.
Some managers believe that if they're seen and heard giving some feedback, then it will have an effect on the other staff members. You bet it will – it'll totally de-motivate them! - Check that it's okay to speak – If one of your staff has just finished speaking to a guest on the phone, they might have some ‘admin' things to do before they forget. If you interrupt, then you risk being responsible for a guest not getting something they were promised.
It's only good manners to check before speaking, and your people will respect you for it. - Announce your intentions – If your staff are not used to receiving regular feedback, what do you think runs through their mind when you pull up a chair, or ring them on the phone? You're right – they think it's bad news, that they've done something wrong, or there's a problem.
It's important therefore to tell them up front, what you want to speak about. - Tell them how you feel about their behaviour – Your people work for the same organisation as you, but it's you they have to please. So make sure when you give feedback that it comes from you. That means not saying things like – ‘The General Manager doesn't like staff to speak to guests like that.' Or – ‘It's not up to me, but you'd better improve your performance or you'll be in trouble.'
- Focus on one thing at a time – Don't confuse your staff member with a whole list of behaviours. If it's positive feedback then, you don't want to list several things they've done well. You're only diluting the whole feedback and it loses its impact.
If you're giving constructive feedback, then you don't want to confuse your staff member with a whole catalogue of behaviours that you're unhappy about. - Be specific – When you're giving one of your staff some feedback and coaching them – it's so important to focus on job related behaviour and not on the personality of the individual.
If you feel a bit uncomfortable giving feedback, try to focus on the person's behaviour on the job, in terms of how they conducted a particular task. That's what you're giving feedback on, not them as a person. - Include the guest and the hotel – Whenever appropriate, relate what your feedback is about, to how the guest was affected. You could also relate it to how the hotel was affected, if relevant
- Get input – When giving constructive feedback, it's important to get the team members input. Listen to what they have to say and discuss how you can, together, resolve the situation.
- Don't leave them low – This is particularly important after giving constructive feedback. As I said earlier, this isn't an attack on the person; it's about job related behaviour. A staff member should come out of a feedback session with their sense of self-worth intact.
About the author
Article by Alan Fairweather, International Speaker and the author of, 'How to be a Motivational Manager, ‘How to Manage Difficult People' and ‘How to Make Sales When You Don't like Selling'. Visit: www.themotivationdoctor.com, for more information.
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