Feedback mechanism is essential to the growth of any company. It is important to assess where you are in line with where you are going. Areas such as financial management as well as talent management and leadership are often assessed to ensure efficiency. However, most executives accentuate the negative sides when it comes to appraising their subordinates. It is not a bad idea to point out the wrongs but this should be done subtly and with caution in order not to dampen the employee’s morale.
It is therefore important, to emphasize the strengths of employees rather than flaws only. Doing this will spur improved performance. Studies have revealed that appreciation rather than criticism, during employee appraisals has produced better performance than having a disgruntled and demoralized individuals.
Some companies use negative appraisals as an excuse or short route to downsize. It can be described as looking for an avenue to lay-off people without exploring how best to help them improve or add value. Approaching employee appraisals from a positive angle builds confidence and fosters excellence. Traditional feedback mechanisms usually identify the areas that need attention and improvement but companies don’t need to dwell on it.
Feedback helps a manager to make informed decisions about his or her subordinates. Through it you can monitor, correct and encourage your team. It helps you to be able to strategically place them on tasks within their competencies and flair. As a manager, it is also important to focus on your strengths and develop them, as this can ignite your best potential because of the enthusiasm to keep improving.
Tools such as the Reflected Best Self (RBS) exercise which use both internal (work-related) and external (other) feedback to identify an employee’s hidden potential, can be explored. The evaluations provided by the selected individuals are usually candid and backed with real events as examples. Afterwards, a series of other analyses can follow and the result is often objective and reliable. Such exercises can be carried out in addition to the traditional review methods that focus on identifying the ‘negative’. However, they must be conducted separately and at different times of the year.
