Positive Feedback

by Mark McClanahan

Almost all businesses function using two elements that produce results: processes and behaviors. Without effective and efficient processes, a company will struggle to maintain quality and profitability. And even the best processes in the world cannot survive without humans operating them. The resulting output from these employee efforts using processes is directly correlated with the quality of their applied effort.

So, if you have well-planned and -thought-out processes, how do you ensure high-quality output from the employees? Besides the usual checks and balances found in good processes, an employee must perform optimally to achieve solid returns on his or her work. To acquire this level of performance, encouragement for work well-executed through the use of reinforcing or positive feedback will go a long way. Studies show that positive feedback is many times more effective than negative feedback. That’s not to say constructive or negative feedback should never be used because there are definitely cases when it’s critical for changing future behaviors.

At Mosby Building Arts, we believe positive feedback is key to delivering the results we want. We provide this feedback in different settings, including one-on-ones, small group meetings, large group meetings and stand-up meetings. In addition, there are three keys to successfully using positive feedback. The first is to provide it often. The second is to provide feedback shortly after the desired behavior is witnessed. And the third is to be very specific about the behavior, all followed up by a “thank you” or a “keep up the good work!”

The added benefit to regularly using positive feedback is the employee’s openness to receiving constructive feedback. By the employee feeling valued, the sting and potential damage caused by negative feedback is significantly minimized. So, if you’re not regularly pointing out positive behaviors to your employees, you’re missing an opportunity for tremendous results.

Mark McClanahan (mmcclanahan@callmosb.com or 314.909.1800) is the president at Mosby Building Arts.