Feedback is the breakfast of champions*

In talking about addressing issues up front and immediately in the last two weeks there is one area that I wanted to discuss. And that is the idea of immediate and direct response to what happens when we see something good. When we do not give immediate feedback we miss an opportunity. We miss the opportunity to reinforce whether something that someone did is good or bad in our eyes.

If we do not comment when we see some do something that is not up to expectations we have said “this behavior is not an issue please continue”.

If we do not comment when we see someone doing something good we have missed the chance to say “that behavior was great I would love to see more!”.

Both of these are missed opportunities. As managers and leaders we must be feedback machines. But we must look to balance the negative and the positive. Take a moment and pay attention to the feedback you are giving your people. Is it immediate? Is it constant? Is it balanced? If we give both positive and negative feedback it makes both more powerful. If you give both types people believe you when you tell them. And that is what we want because that reinforces the positives that we see and helps people correct the negatives. And that is coaching, and that is managing.

So take a moment and look at yourself and ask how much feedback have I been giving? How much more can I give? And if you give it in the right way, the right balance and the right time (which is right now) you will get much, much more back in positive returns than you give.

* ”Feedback is the breakfast of champions” – Ken Blanchard