Approaching perfection

We have all heard that practice makes perfect. This is not true — practice makes permanent, it is feedback that makes perfect. The Big Dogz know how to give feedback. Here are some general principles about feedback and a specific process to use when giving feedback to employees.

Link feedback to a result — how does the person get better results.
Be specific — feedback is about an action, it is not about a judgment.
Balance — do not always give corrective or always positive feedback, have a balance
Do it frequently — this is customized to the employee’s performance, once a quarter is a good guideline.
Recognize significant shifts in performance — provide immediate feedback if an employee begins to slide or starts to soar.

Here is the process:

• State the objective
  
• Get agreement from them that is the objective
  
• Ask for their observation on how they are doing
  
• Give your observation
  
• Ask them “What are you going to do?”
  
• Ask them “What help do you need from me?”
  
• Offer suggestions
  
• Review their action plan
  
• Set follow up session
  
• Ask is there anything else they need to know
  
• Encourage them

Make giving feedback a priority if you want your employees to approach perfection in their jobs.