by Mark McClanahan
Feedback is one of the most important tools for a leader. Without feedback, it’s impossible to successfully correct or reinforce behavior within an organization, and the results of the company will reflect this.
Just imagine a coach silently – without uttering a word – watching an athlete practice. The chance of the athlete improving is significantly impaired. The same principle applies to leaders. We must engage our employees at all levels and provide them with regular feedback, whether positive or negative. The positive feedback will help reinforce the right behavior, and the negative – or, more appropriately – corrective feedback will encourage the right behavior in the future.
Although corrective feedback is vital, it’s next to useless without positive feedback. The culture of your company will surely deteriorate if all that is provided to your employees is negative feedback. That is why positive feedback is critical and should be provided often. This reinforcing feedback will have a few valuable effects: The company culture will blossom, work results will improve, and your employee will be more open to hearing corrective feedback.
At Mosby Building Arts, one of our tools for reinforcing the right behavior is called the ICART Award (for someone displaying the company core values of integrity, commitment to excellence, accountability, respect and/or teamwork). Any associate can award another associate the ICART award. The recipient receives a totem (a stuffed polar bear wearing an ICART T-shirt) and a written explanation specifying why he or she received the recognition. The award winner is photographed with the totem, and the photo is both displayed on an office wall and included in the company’s monthly newsletter.
This is one of many ways to encourage the right future behavior in your team. Be a good coach. Do it often!
Mark McClanahan (mmcclanahan@callmosby.com or 314.909.1800) is the chief operating officer at Mosby Building Arts.
Submitted 9 years 276 days ago