When It Seems Like Everything Has Changed…… Remember Some Things Haven’t
I don’t know about you but I feel like everywhere I turn all I hear is “new normal” and “uncharted territory” and it has me thinking - are we losing sight of the foundations? What do your employees really want? (Hint: It’s not a raise) What do they really need? (Hint: It’s not a game room with a pool table) Things have definitely changed, some for the good and some have taken some adjusting but our basic human needs have not waivered and, in my experience, the best thing we can give our employees is good old fashioned feedback.
As a leader we are often pulled in so many directions that nothing receives our full attention. That is until a good employee suddenly gives us their notice. What happened? What went wrong? They were never reprimanded and fairly compensated for their work. You even brought in donuts once a month for everyone! These days it takes more than a box of donuts and a “fairly compensated” attitude.
As times change and technology grows, we have all been encompassed with constant feedback and instant back-and-forth communication. That is until we walk into work where we receive our yearly review (if we’re lucky) or our reports showing how much we cost our company this year. Just as technology has changed so should our tools for feedback with our employees. Feedback does not mean feeding egos. Feedback means giving of your most precious commodity, your time. Employees want and need to know if they are meeting expectations. Where are their professional weaknesses? Having a “no news is good news” approach is no longer acceptable. I visited with a client recently that made the comment “I don’t know if the company is making money or going bankrupt and just hope for the best every day when I come in.” That’s a problem folks! Employees expect and demand feedback and we should be eager to provide this development for them and eager to show them appreciation when it’s due. Are you struggling with effective communication in your organization? Are you not sure how to start developing an appreciative feedback culture? The Quality Coach can help, contact Coach Heather at heather@thequalitycoach.com today!