Kenneth Chenault, CEO, and Chairman of American Express, rightly pointed out that constant feedback is one of the most challenging things to drive through an organization, but without a doubt, it is an imperative quality of an effective mentor. However, HR personnel and managers across industries have been dogged by the conflicting question: How can feedback, both positive and negative, be conveyed in a manner that would only improve an employee's performance? Can a mentor deliver constructive criticism and yet make sure that the mentee is not de-motivated? Or praise a mentee in a way that ensures a continued increase of his/her outcome? How can the employee take feedback to heart professionally and still consider it as nothing personal? What gives feedback a longer shelf life, adds value to the organization, and brings real change?
Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to these questions, as each organization performs in a distinctive dimension, and every employee within it is unique. On the other hand, HR and managers may make the most of feedback by having a clear grasp of why it's essential, what makes it a rigid entity to give, and how to use technology to breathe new life into a stale performance-management process.
Constructive Feedbacks for Growth
With the development of mentoring techniques, there has been an often-misapprehended notion that feedback is only required for employees in need of serious action and grooming. Interestingly, researches reveal that incompetent individuals in a workforce are often too unqualified even to analyze their incompetency. Sadly, this holds for talented employees, who often go without realizing their exact caliber. The reality is that everyone needs feedback.
Constructive developmental advice is the most crucial facet of feedback as it helps someone perform better. In Rocky IV, a great Hollywood movie, Rocky changes the mindset of Russians with an inspirational speech towards the climax. Good mentors employ the same construct in a real-time work environment, but they mold an employee's perspective and improve performance through constructive feedback. While doing this, they make sure the work expectations and performance objectives are clear. They ensure that they have all the sufficient details, such as job descriptions, notes, memos, and a clear perception of the idea of the change they would like to occur. They create a conversation that incorporates the other person's input.
Though delivering feedback is made difficult due to specific organizational structures, it also depends on human nature to a large extent. On many occasions, the immediate boss may not be closely involved in an employee's day-to-day work. Organizations are not set up to encourage and document feedback from others. However, a good mentor can always reach out and start in a lively manner. S/he could listen actively to each response, make a suggestion or request, and then check for understanding. They can constantly check for the receiver's knowledge of the suggestion/request. Finally, the mentor can enable the employee to reach a commitment on the next steps.
Learn the Art with MentorCloud
The pain point in traditional performance appraisal systems is that the feedback comes too rarely, too late, and from a few people. MentorCloud has been changing this equation and is shaking up traditional performance reviews in a big way. The strong network of exceptional advisors, collaborative clients, and fantastic friends that include HR and managers at MentorCloud have been helping one another in the pursuit of professional and personal aspirations. Join us in our vision of building a mentoring planet.
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