Happy Valentine's Day!

Today many people will give their loved ones, friends and family a Valentine gift. Some will get chocolates and others will get flowers. But, at work, the best gift you can give is honest feedback. I believe feedback is a gift and one that is often overlooked and when that happens, missed opportunities arise. So today, take time out of your day to give some positive feedback to those you work with.

Before we start giving the gift of feedback, don’t forget your boss. What have they done lately that has had a positive impact on your life, business and productivity? Making it safe to give and receive feedback is the foundation of creating a cohesive and productive team, but it must become a habit. 

Everyone wants to improve their performance – well at least 90% of everyone, and to be in the top tier of excellence you need to be growing and learning. That is feedback!

Everyone including leadership want and need honest feedback to grow. Most leaders never get that. What they do get is ‘brown-nosing’ rhetoric that is vague and not honest. 

Use Valentine’s Day to kick off a culture of feedback as a gift. Build a culture where it’s safe for employees to be honest.  Allow everyone to be a part of feedback but have an open mind when giving and receiving. Not one idea is the only idea, so be ready for dialogue. Show everyone that you want to know what they think, even when, you may disagree. Remember it is a ‘gift.’

So, enjoy the love today and for the rest of the year. We love life, not because we are used to living but because we are used to loving. Give the gift of feedback today and forever.