Being a leader has multiple challenges, one of the biggest is having the ability to empower employees in the best way to get the best version of people and have better results as a team.
One of the key tools for continuous improvement is feedback, which is very effective and must be done correctly in order to have good results.
Paulina Soto, Imagemaker Delivery Manager, has been leading teams in the company for more than 3 years. She is characterized by having highly developed soft skills that allow her to establish good relationships with her teams in a playful, respectful, professional way, but above all with a smile ahead.
For Paulina, these instances have 3 main objectives: to improve productivity, empower people and generate a sense of belonging in the company. We spoke with her and she gave us 6 tips to give good feedback to talents:
1. Keep it personal:
When giving feedback, it is key to always bear in mind that you are dealing with a person and the necessary care must be taken to protect their integrity. It is prudent for the meeting to be held 1 to 1, taking care of the individuality and privacy of each one.
2. Start with the good things:
The main idea of feedback is to empower people, that is why positive things must first be highlighted and that they are done well. Then point out the possible improvements. Otherwise, people tend to focus on letting the negative happen and not enhancing what is being done correctly.
3. Worry about time and space
Ideally, the meeting should take place in a space where the collaborator feels comfortable.
It is important to bear in mind that the meeting is a conversation, so you must go with time and the willingness to listen and give people the opportunity to also deliver their point of view.
4. Willingness to receive feedback
This instance is also for leaders to interpret what they are doing right or wrong. Many times problems at work have more than one edge and as guides, we must know what the person needs from us.
5. Don't forget about feedforward
Although feedback helps us to evaluate things that have already happened, it is important to know what we want to achieve in the future, for this it is important to deliver clear goals and concrete improvement plans. It is key to do an analysis and deliver the tools for improvement.
6. Feedback is constant
When you have large teams it is difficult to do long feedback sessions, we must also bear in mind that younger generations have different ways of relating, and possibly a 1-hour meeting is meaningless for them.
There's a phrase that says "feedback can be done in a minute if it's permanent" A pat on the back after a meeting or a simple compliment on how a meeting went can be constant feedback.
It is important that we leaders challenge ourselves to find more playful and entertaining ways to give feedback that fits with the new generations. For this, it is essential to know the teams we have in charge.