My wife took me to watch Ludovico Einaudi in Leeds on Saturday for my birthday. There was no doubt about what the audience thought of his performance. The 3-minute standing ovation showed just how much the crowd appreciated his genius.
Imagine this response in the workplace…
In the office, we’d feel slightly awkward if every time someone performed well, there was the same response. So, what can we do to show our colleagues that we appreciate and value them?
AID feedback is a tool that communicates what we appreciated or didn’t value about someone’s performance or repeat behaviours.
Action
Impact
Do/do differently
Positive:
ACTION – I noticed in our meeting this morning that when you were asked your opinion you made some really valuable contributions to the project that other people hadn’t considered.
IMAPCT – Because of that, we’ve agreed on an approach that people have real confidence in.
DO – I’d really like to see you contributing more like that in the future, so don’t wait for an invitation to talk, bring all of your ideas.
Developmental:
ACTION – I noticed in our meeting this morning, you quickly shut down Erica when she had a different idea.
IMPACT – Because of that, she and the rest of the team were less open to share their thoughts.
DO DIFFERENTLY – Next time, try to hear the idea properly and seek to understand before pressing ahead with your own idea.
This approach helps to keep the feedback specific, takes it away (as much as possible) from character links, and gives people something to act on in future.
Jack Welch once said “the biggest dirty little secret in businesses is a lack of candour, in every continent, in every culture.” I’ve found that to be true.
What are your tips for improving candour in the workplace?