In an online forum, someone declared that feedback between peers must be anonymous. He asserted people won’t be honest without anonymity. However, I have found it is possible to be honest and not anonymous. Further, anonymous feedback backfires in number of...
One of the traps people fall into on teams is withholding information –feedback– that’s critical for the team to function. Sometimes the information is about friction between team members. When team members don’t have a way to talk about small...
@mick_maguire asked me about “Differentiation” and how it could possibly fit with an Agile team. It can’t. Not with any team. Mick also pointed me to a blog post where the writer, a fan of Differentiation, described how he implemented the process on...
Many managers believe that giving feedback is their job. And they’re right. But it is also everyone’s job to offer feedback when it comes to building working relationships. A Story Tom looked up to see Jonathan, who had just transferred onto the team,...
Managers–like everyone else–need feedback to know how and where to adjust their actions. Managers may receive feedback from their managers. That’s necessary, but not sufficient. In addition to hearing how things look from above, managers need feedback from...
(c) 2003-2010 Esther Derby This column originally appeared on Computerworld.com Twice a week, I go to the gym and weight train with Brooke Darst, a Certified Personal Trainer. As I perform my exercises, Brooke provides a constant stream of feedback: Minor corrections,...
At the start of my series on Performance without Appraisal, I listed the goals that organizations hope to achieve with annual performance appraisals and so-called performance management systems: improve individual performance improve organizational results determine...
In my previous post, I described a framework for offering feedback on work results and work relationships.Step 2 is Describe behavior or results. Use neutral language and examples. If the person doesn’t recognize himself in the description or agree with the...
Peer feedback is a core skill for collaboration. It’s impossible to work closely with out running into some bumps: differences, disappointments, and disagreements. Peer to peer feedback can help keep working relationships on track and improve results (and it...
Many organizations have a model that feedback rolls down hill. The VPs give feedback to the Directors that report to them. Directors give feedback to the Managers. Managers give feedback to developers. It all cascades downward.A manager’s job is to create an...
Johanna has a post about feedback on her blog…based on a feedback practice from our recent Managing One-on-One workshop.In her post, a feedback giver hints and talks all around the situation, rather than respectfully but directly describing the situation and the...
Too often, people, including managers, mistake labels or blame for feedback. However, labeling people doesn’t help. Labels don’t improve results, or strengthen relationships. Statements such as, “You’re lazy,” or “You’re too nice,”...
Last week I did a feedback workshop at the AYE conference. I do this workshop from time to time, and while each workshop is unique, and there are consistent patterns. As I walk around the room and listen to people practice giving feedback, there’s always at least one...
I have a lot of energy for effective feedback. Unfortunately, I haven’t reached all the managers (and just plain folks) in the world yet, so there are still folks out there giving feedback that is veiled, garbled, unactionable, and downright hurtful.Take for...
Last week I wrote about peer-to-peer feedback. In response, Liz Keogh offers her story here.It almost always works better when peers resolve their own issues, even when the issues are socially awkward. Had Liz taken this issue to the MD, I suspect the outcome...
I talk to a manager who had attended one of my feedback workshops.One of his staff members had come to him complaining about another team member who had a habit of eating cookies when they worked together, and was getting crumbs all over his desk and keyboard.Prior to...
One of the promises of all the agile methods is frequent feedback about the state of the project and the product. With frequent feedback, we can adjust our actions and goals based on the current reality and manage empirically. Sounds good, but the practice isn’t...
From Fast Company, Elizabeth Pagano offers a handful of reasons that managers avoid having conversations with employees about performance:”Eleven Things We Tell Ourselves to Avoid Giving Bad News.”I don’t think she can handle it. I’ll hurt his...
I’ve been thinking about something Charlie Seashore said when he was in town in December: People are more likely to hear feedback that isn’t about an area where they’ve already done a lot of thinking and formed an opinion.This seems true to me, and...
