↗️ Your Feedback approach matters!

(Source: Gallup, CliftonStrengths Certification Material)

➡️ NO FEEDBACK IS WORST!

The worst-case scenario is when managers ignore their team members entirely and provide little to no feedback. The impact is so detrimental that it can lead to what is called active disengagement. This means that employees actively work against the manager and organization and sabotage their efforts.

Example: “Thanks for the report.” (Manager takes a report from their employee and corrects certain errors themselves without informing the employee.)

➡️ WEAKNESS-FOCUSED CAN BE BAD OR JUST OK

Focusing on weaknesses is the worst if delivered in a judgmental manner.

Example: “Your reports are just nonsense, you can’t even get spelling right and include all key data. Just try again. Hopeless!“

However, managers who mostly provide weakness-focused feedback but deliver it in a fair and at

least factual manner can see some success.

Example: “I looked through your report. It has a few spelling errors and misses 2 key data points, despite our preparation. The rest is okay. As I mentioned, it is important that this report is checked thoroughly. Let’s work on a way to better QA here, please.“

➡️ STRENGTHS-BASED FEEDBACK IS POWERFUL!

Strengths-based feedback ultimately contributes the most to sustainable engagement.

Example: “Regarding your report, I noted 3 things that worked well and 2 improvement areas. Can I share them?” “Yes, sure.” “What’s working well: the structure is excellent and easy to parse. You used the rule of 3 effectively. The Executive Summary is excellent and has the perfect length to stay above the fold. The references are also complete. Please maintain these elements for future reports; it’s excellent. On the improvements side, I spotted some easy-to-find spelling errors. Also,

2 key data elements were missing, despite our prior discussion. I’d like to find out with you how these errors found their way into the report.“

PRO TIP: It has been observed that to maintain productive, healthy relationships, it’s good to aim for a ratio of 4:1 of positive to constructive feedback over time. If you think about your best and worst work relationships, you can likely see and confirm that pattern. Do we have to achieve this ratio in every conversation? No. But it’s something to aim for in the long run.

➡️ SUMMARY

In conclusion, ignoring team members and providing no feedback is a terrible idea, as it leads to active disengagement. While addressing weaknesses is essential, it should be done fairly and constructively. Ultimately, fostering a strengths-based feedback approach is an excellent way to nurture engagement, motivation, and performance. Striving for a healthy balance of positive to negative feedback, roughly at a 4:1 ratio, can significantly improve work relationships.

Hope you take the chance in the coming week to give even more feedback about things that work well around you. It’s so often overlooked.

Good luck 🙂

Maik