I was coaching a leader recently, and he shared his appreciation for the regular feedback he was receiving from his Manager. He had his Annual Performance Review coming up, and he knew he was valued. He knew how he was performing, as he had received regular feedback, including how he could improve throughout the year.
We talked about the importance of providing all three types of feedback on a regular basis.
‘In my last role, I led a high performing team, and I like to think I was a good operator. When something important needed doing, my leader would ask me to do it, knowing I would get it done. I really enjoyed the team and the work, but I didn’t feel like my work was valued or I was appreciated by my Manager.
The harder I worked, the more my workload increased. My leader just kept giving me more and more tasks. I felt on the verge of burnout and a little bit bitter. I resigned and found the role I’m in now. A few months ago, I bumped into my previous Manager. He shared how devastated he was to lose me and asked if I would come back. He sang my praises and told me that he realised, after I left, how much great work I had been doing.
The thing is (and I didn’t say this to him) if he had told me I was doing a good job back then, I would have stayed. But we never had that conversation.’
Are you offering all three types of feedback to your team?