Year-End Visioning: The Power of Feedback
Wednesday, December 20, 2023 - Joe Kiedinger
It’s about that time of the year where you sit down, take a breather for once, and reflect on what happened throughout the year. You’re reminiscing on what went well, figuring out how to remedy what went wrong, and putting together your overall plan of action as you move into the next year. 2024 – can you believe it? It may be cliché, but the phrase “time flies” never seems to be wrong, does it?
Now more than ever, your team is looking to you to figure out how they’re doing and where they stand as a member of your team and a contributor to the organization’s goals. You have an opportunity in front of you to recognize the efforts of those in your team, make them feel safe and secure as part of your team, provide feedback to help them set goals to improve, and add that extra spark to their drive and motivation to rock the next year.
You have the power to motivate your team big time. How? Through frequency! If it sounds overly simple – that’s because it is! Once per year or quarterly feedback and recognition is something, but it just isn’t enough.
A Word to the Wise – The Impact of Continual Feedback
One thing that I like to do is to provide my team members with continual feedback throughout their year rather than reserving it all for a year-end or quarterly reviews. Check-Ins, 1x1s, and in-passing conversation provide me with plenty of opportunities to pass on my feedback to my team naturally.
Trust me when I say that it’s far better to be proactive when it comes to delivering feedback and encouragement. In fact, according to a Zippia study, 65% of employees want more feedback. And it’s no wonder why. Think about how impactful it is! Even just one small comment from a leader is powerful. The effect is real, felt, and physical, especially when the feedback they receive validates their Top 5 Motivations. I’ve seen it happen many times.
Here’s one instance. I was sitting in on a performance assessment meeting between project owners on a construction site – one of the guys had “Thrives on Encouragement” in his Top 5 and “Give me feedback” in his Dos. He came into the meeting fairly stressed, wondering where he stood on managing his project. He didn’t know because up to that point, he hadn’t received the feedback or encouragement he so needed. When his colleagues told him that he was doing a “fantastic job” with his project, you could just see the stress leave his body as he exhaled deeply, released all his tension, and smiled practically from ear to ear.
As we established a regular meeting cadence and he started to receive regular feedback and recognition, we could all sense a change in him. He became more effective, positive and eager to collaborate.
What You Can Do
You can replicate this exact same effect by simply checking up with your team members on a monthly basis. Sometimes, it may be a casual conversation over lunch with some affirmations of their performance. Other times, you might feel a need to schedule a Dignify Check-In, 1×1, or a formal meeting to deliver more focused to help them out. You just tailor your approach based on what you need but be sure to check up regularly.
As I go into the next year, I know I’ll make sure to keep this up. It keeps clarity, morale, and trust high, and my team wouldn’t have anything less. Take your feedback and recognition cadence to the next level and try it out!
JOE KIEDINGER
ACTION PLAN: Enjoy your holidays! When you get around to visioning for the next year, set a personal goal to work continual feedback for your team into your routine as a leader.