How do you balance feedback and recognition to motivate your staff?

Feedback and recognition are both recognition of behaviour. That’s why they matter. At least somebody noticed what the employee did. Their behaviour mattered, their contribution to the organisation is valued. Be slow to chide and swift to bless. Also, beware of treating an isolated incident as routine behaviour. The Boss always walks in when someone is acting the fool. Applaud positive behaviour loudly and discuss negative behaviour quietly. The article assumes that ‘feedback’ is seen as negative by the employee. If you create an environment where everyone wants to give their best, then a discussion on sub-optimal behaviour is seen as positive. That working environment is created by the organisation, its leaders, managers, and policies.

My approach is to take action, either way, contemporaneously with the observed behavior. Said another way…do it on the spot! If you are offering positive feedback, do it in an open fashion, such that your management team and above are aware. On the other hand, if you are needing to rake someone over the coals, a.k.a. offering constructive, also do it promptly but do it privately. Then, shake the person’s hand while looking them in the eye, and tell them you believe in them. The essential element is doing it right away. Waiting is patently unfair to the staff person. This approach will also allow you, as a manager, to sleep better.

We're all on our own "hero journeys" -- everyone in our lives, even those closest to us, are merely sidekicks in that journey. Gaining feedback and recognition from those people matters because in validates who we are and what we do. As leaders, are sidekicks in our people's personal hero journeys. As such, we owe our people that feedback and recognition. It's how they become inspired and feel valued.

Everybody wants to be recognized for doing a good job. You work hard and deserve the recognition. Recognition is a simple low-cost was to say thank you that goes a long way and is proven to be effective. As long as it’s sincere.

Feedback is initially always best in private, good or bad, happy or sad, straight up, look them in the eye and win or learn. Recognition is always in public. There is something positive about everything and virtually every action. You cannot be given recognition often enough as long as it is sincere. I normally recommend staying away from always and never; there are few absolutes in the real world. Loyalty is the most important characteristic in life in business and is the most difficult to earn. Every year it gets harder; every year it gets more expensive and yet truly costs nothing. Build a team that will run thru a wall and you can accomplish everything.

The value of your opinion is in the eyes of the beholder, especially when offering constructive feedback. Focus on how the delivery of your content will land and feel to them. Lead the conversation with their unique strength then segue into how they can leverage that into the target area(s) of improvement. The greater the empathy in your message, the greater the chance of acceptance. Role model the targeted behavior yourself, when applicable.

Take a moment and think back on your life. Identify the people that truly made a difference to you. These may be people like parents, teachers, coaches, clergy. They made a difference because they were able to provide you with feedback in ways that resonated. Learn from them and you're on your way to becoming exceptional at providing those you lead with the feedback that they need to become their best.

Be honest and fair. Provide both sides; what’s working and what can be improved. Usually, it’s not the words you use; it’s your delivery. I have found that you can say a tough thing to someone, and it will be received well, as long as it’s coming from a good place.

Feedback must be honest direct, timely and face to face. Even if you have to get on airplane to provide it, do it, as managers should not hide behind email or phones to provide essential management direction to their team.

The discussion around sub-optimal behaviour is both the Employee and Manager together looking at the behaviour as a separate entity, and seeking to understand its cause, effects and alternatives. The stance should always initially be that the Manager has failed to give the training, communicate the wider picture or simply incorrectly grasped the circumstances. Always give the employee four out of three chances to get it right.

Recognition is often too generic. Saying "John did some great work and was brilliant" doesn't specify what John did well or why. A better way to frame recognition is to highlight specific actions and behaviors. For example, "John's attention to detail and persistence completing a difficult presentation led to positive feedback from attendees. He delivered the message effectively and inspired many ideas." This approach highlights John's strengths and provides clear reasons for why he is being recognized.

In the corporate world, actions must speak louder than words. It's great to publicly recognize individuals for their ability to deliver, but ultimately it has to be real by hitting their pockets; either via bonuses or stock options. A pat on the back is great, but that doesn't help pay the bills.

Absolutely agree that the recognition of positive behaviour needs to be sincere, specific, numerate, and public. Absolutely disagree that any form of bonus, AT THAT TIME, is positive. All that does is invite the employees to talk about the financial value of the bonus compared to other rewards. It is negative and leads to loss of motivation and performance. Your employees will put their effort into gaming the reward process. However, at the annual pay setting, the value of an employee who delivers positive behaviour needs to be recognised. If they are showing more positive behaviour than another employee, they deserve a bigger financial reward.

To balance feedback and recognition, start by acknowledging an employee's accomplishments. Then provide specific feedback on an area they can improve, while still acknowledging their strengths. End on a positive note, offering support for their growth. For example, "Your attention to detail was impressive, but communication could be clearer. Let's work on that. I value your contributions to the team and look forward to seeing your continued success."

Naturally, every employee knows what the important goals are and their part in achieving them. The top-level goal has been broken down into a goal for each function, department and section. Be very sure that your discussions on behaviour connects directly to achieving the goals.

In my experience, having regular pulse check ins that anonymously poll your team on a cadence every fortnight or month allows you to keep track of how you are doing on feedback & recognition metrics. It’s important to ensure that you not only track impact at a point of time but also the trends and progress you are making over a longer period of time. Sharing these metrics with your team in open forums like town halls helps reinforce that you are actively looking to measure and improve.

Every management action should enhance performance of the organisation. The measure is the financial results, KPIs or Objectives the organisation has set. If you need to invent a survey or some other measure the organisation is too big, too complex, inefficient and needs to be broken up!