Being recognized and appreciated for hard work is essential for an individual’s and a team’s morale and growth. By giving positive feedback, you not only acknowledge the achievements of your colleagues but also inspire them to strive for more significant results. However, providing positive feedback is not always easy, and it often requires specific knowledge of the individual or team.
Two resources for gaining this “specific knowledge” are the Winslow Behavioral Assessment and DISC assessment. When used for employee development, succession, and leadership development they will give you insights and a huge advantage for communicating well with your team or workforce.
For example, the Winslow identifies the trait of Recognition (need for accomplishments to be recognized and rewarded) and is an important factor to understanding someone’s motivation, and response to encouragement and appreciation. People high in Recognition (when received) will try to do even better the next time. On the other hand, when someone high in Recognition doesn’t receive positive feedback, they may become discouraged and feel under-appreciated. People low in Recognition won’t care either way and, at times, they can be challenging to motivate or develop.
The DISC assessment will help you understand how to communicate positive feedback to an individual by tapping into their specific style of communication. It’s kind of uncanny how this works!
Below are some best practices for giving constructive and effective positive feedback:
Be Specific
One of the essential traits of good feedback is being highly specific. Whenever you are recognizing someone for their performance, avoid vague praise or using terms such as “great” or “nice.” Instead, focus on the specific actions or behavior they exhibited, and how it made a difference. This specificity helps individuals understand precisely what actions they performed well, and it helps them replicate or increase their performance in the future.
Be Genuine
Nothing demotivates employees more (or anyone, really) than receiving feedback that does not feel honest or authentic. Always make sure any feedback you give is genuinely well-intentioned and sincere. If you are hesitant or uncertain, hold back and take the time to think over things to avoid coming across as insincere.
Give Feedback Immediately
Be prompt with your feedback. When you see someone perform well, let them know immediately; do not wait for weeks or months before giving feedback. If you delay, people may not care about the feedback or even remember the precise actions they performed that were noteworthy.
Tie Feedback to Goals and Objectives
Positive feedback is most effective when it is tied to specific objectives or goals. Telling someone they did a great job without explaining how it contributes to the team or company objectives is not as effective as explaining how those achievements align with larger goals. Helping employees learn to be goal-oriented will help them feel their work is contributing to something larger than themselves, which is a huge motivator.
Encourage Learning and Improvement
Always remember: The purpose of feedback is to help individuals improve and grow. This can be tricky, but positive feedback should not only acknowledge achievements, it should also suggest how the person can improve or learn new things. Asking questions around their approach, the whys and hows and getting their input is an excellent way to guide and inspire.
Ultimately, delivering positive feedback effectively and with purpose takes effort and skill. While a recognition program or similar HR scheme might boost morale, customizing feedback delivery to meet the needs of the individual (or team) will be even more effective. Remember, creating feedback that is genuine, prompt, customized, and goal-oriented is an excellent way to develop a motivated and high-performing team.
