112 ◾ Transforming Teams
at someone when they’re bad or handing out a pat on
the back—‘good job’ or ‘atta girl’—when they’re good is
just not sufcient.”
“I never yell, ever. And I thought telling people they
were doing a good job was a good thing to do. Are
you saying it isn’t?” asked Claire, looking skeptical and
confused.
“I’m saying it’s insignicant. When I say to you, ‘Claire,
you’re doing a good job,’ do you feel like you have any
meaningful feedback on your performance?” Eliza asked.
Claire reected on Eliza’s comment. “No. I mean, I
presume you’re pleased, but I’m not necessarily sure
what you’re pleased with. So from that perspective, I
guess it’s not necessarily meaningful.”
“That’s my point. What am I pleased with? What
behaviors do I want you to keep doing? What am I
referring to? It’s nice, but it’s almost meaningless with-
out context. But when I catch you doing exactly what I
asked you to do and I point it out and tell you why I’m
pleased, it adds the missing ingredients. It adds mean-
ing. Think about how you would feel if I were to say,
‘Claire, I heard you coaching your rep through a dif-
cult call and how the way she handled it was exactly
what we would have wanted. You are training your
team well to interact with the clients, particularly the
difcult ones. Please keep up the good coaching.’ That
has more meaning than ‘way to go,’ right?”
“Oh, absolutely. There’s no question that has more
meaning,” said Claire.
“And all it took was adding detail to the observa-
tion—providing the specics. It’s a lesson I learned from
being a parent, a lesson that I brought to the ofce.
Feedback for Claire ◾ 113
“My kids are slobs. So, when I saw one day that
they had decided to make their beds, I made a huge
deal about celebrating it. I told them how well they had
made their beds, how clean the room was, and how I
could easily imagine a princess laying down on one of
the beautiful beds to take a nap. They were glowing,
and then they started competing with each other to
see who could make the best bed. And now they do it
every day.
“That’s what I try to do every week at work. Every
week, without fail, I make it a point to observe some-
one doing exactly what I want them to do—doing their
job, essentially. And I tell them:
◾ What I observed and why it is important;
I try to make my comments as timely and
as close to the observation as possible.
◾ The effect that the actions have on me
personally and on the company.
◾ That I hope they will continue to do what
they are doing.
◾ Any suggestions I may have for further
improvement.
“Only after I say all of these things do I give them a
‘good job’ or ‘atta boy.’ Believe it or not, I actually have
it as a regular, recurring item on my calendar to devote
time to walking about and giving feedback,” said Eliza.
“Do you really? That’s a great idea. I can give
positive feedback a couple of times a week. But what
about when I have to discipline someone? Should I
114 ◾ Transforming Teams
be giving them positive feedback when I’m ready to
throttle them?”
“Look, constructive feedback is absolutely necessary.
It’s how we correct bad behavior. But I think it can
always be done concurrently with reinforcing positive
behavior. I always balance corrective feedback with
positive feedback, and I end the conversation with posi-
tive feedback.”
Feedback
rst, nal, and
frequent
“That could be one of your golden nuggets, Eliza,”
said Claire.
“Hey, you’re right! Feedback First, Final, and
Frequent. That’s a good one. So here’s what I do:
“I pick the setting carefully to ensure it is private and
appropriate.
I always ask permission to have a conversation with
the employee. If he’s busy, I ask him to set up a
time to have a conversation.
Feedback for Claire ◾ 115
I start with a positive behavior that I have observed
and why it is important to me.
I share the observation of a behavior that I’m con-
cerned with.
I always ask for their input and I listen to it before I
jump to my own stories or conclusions.
I set the expectations that I have for the behavior
going forward.
I check to make sure the employee feels he has
the tools, abilities, and opportunity to satisfy my
expectations.
I try to reach an agreement.
And then I end with another positive observation.
Step
s for Corrective Feedback
Pick an appropriate seing
(safe & priv
ate).
Ask permission to have the
conversation.
S
tart with a positive observation.
Shar
e observation of concerning
behavior/action.
Ask for their perspective and listen.
Set expectations for new behaviors.
Ensur
e employee has tools and
abilities to meet new expectations.
Reach a new agreement (promise).
End with a positive observation.
116 ◾ Transforming Teams
“What do you think?” Eliza asked.
“Honestly, it’s annoyingly simple and intuitive,” said
Claire.
“Annoying? Why?” asked Eliza, obviously concerned.
“It’s annoying to me because it’s so intuitive and
I don’t do it. It makes so much sense, but no one
does this around here, except for you. And now that
you tell me what you’re doing, I can recount times
that you’ve done this with me. Oh my gosh, you
are doing it now, aren’t you?” Claire asked, looking
caught off guard.
“Yes, I suppose I am,” said Eliza, smiling. “And let
me follow my own advice and end with positive feed-
back. You are so truly committed to this organization
that when you talk with your customer service reps,
your commitment to our products and our customers is
self-evident. If you give them meaningful, positive feed-
back, I think you’ll see a pretty impressive transforma-
tion because they care so much about your opinion.”
“Thanks, Eliza. That means a lot.”
“It’s my pleasure.”
“And I guess I know better now why they pay you the
big bucks,” Claire laughed as she headed out the door.
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