2 Assignments for Business

Respond to at least two of your colleagues' postings in one or more of the following ways:

· Suggest methods that your colleagues could use to prepare for difficult situations.

· Offer an example from your own experience in which you had to give difficult feedback and the results you experienced.

Note what you have learned and/or any insights that you have gained as a result of the comments your colleagues made.

1st Colleague to respond to:

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For this discussion, I will share some professional experiences concerning communication. I remember one time I led a meeting about improving technical performance at work. I prepared an agenda, handouts, sent an email reminder 5 minutes before the meeting and started the meeting on time. About ten minutes into the meeting, a colleague arrived and I repeated the key issues being discussed for his advantage. The manager was sitting in the room and did not take it well. She did not say anything. However, her body language was explicit. Her grumpy face made me feel as if she were angry because I had done something wrong. I felt somewhat shocked, but I could not express it because I was in front of the group. After the meeting ended, the manager called me to her office; she was visibly angry, her tone was direct, she told me I should not have repeated anything for the employee who arrived late to the meeting, and that I should not continue to lead the technical meetings, and she mentioned another employee would take over the meetings. The negative feedback hurt my feelings. But, that was the end of the conversation and I eventually moved on. According to Horstman (2016) the purpose of feedback is to encourage effective future behavior. However, I felt that I was being punished and I did not quite understand why. I suspected the reason had nothing to do with me and more to do with the manager and the employee who arrived late to the meeting but I never had the opportunity to discuss it with the manager.

 

Positive Feedback

Now I will share an experience where I received positive feedback. This time, a different manager told me to go to her office for a quick meeting. The manager’s request was unusual. My first thought was, what did I do? I went to her office, she was all smiles, made eye contact, and congratulated me. She said she received an emotional letter from a happy client and wanted to let me know that she appreciated my hard work and dedication. She encouraged me to continue to do the type of work I did on that particular case as it made a real difference in that person’s life. Although I did not remember the client by name and I did not remember the case, the manager read parts of the letter to me and I appreciated the manager’s positive feedback. By recognizing the impact of work I do, the manager made me feel valued, appreciated.

 

The contexts of the situations I described about negative feedback and positive feedback were different. My reactions to the feedback were also different. In the first case I felt shocked. However, in the second situation, I felt valued and appreciated which is positive. I would rather feel appreciated than shocked or else.

When I think about the negative feedback I received, I would not refer to it as a conversation per se; what I remember is a brief monologue. The manager was very direct, left no opportunity for conversation, and so made me feel disappointed. There was no option for comments or questions. The non-verbal communication was explicit. The non-verbal communication could have made things different; the manager could have had open posture facing me, appropriate eye contact, appropriate body movement, or attentive silence by allowing me to speak (Edwards, 2010). I think that if the manager who gave me the negative feedback had explained the real reason for her decision things would have been different, I would not have been as disappointed.

The positive feedback I received encouraged me to continue with my productive work routine, as the manager encouraged good behavior, I do not really think of anything that could have made the conversation more meaningful or productive. It made my day!

 

Preference to Receive Feedback

When receiving feedback from a manager or colleague, my preference is to receive face-to- face feedback and be able to see the person’s body language. This is regardless of the nature of the feedback. However, this is not always possible. Currently, all the feedback I receive is via email, Skype, or voicemail.  Furthermore, I feel comfortable receiving feedback through electronic devices and it has become a  routine. but my preferences have not changed, if I had the opportunity to choose, I would choose personal face to face interactions with other people.

 

Giving Negative Feedback

Giving negative feedback may be difficult. If I had to give negative feedback to an employee, I would use Horstman’s (2016) advice on negative feedback. I would make sure I am not angry, feel the desire to punish, or feel the urgency to deliver feedback.  Then, I would schedule a meeting with the employee, be relaxed, be optimistic, emphasize the need to learn from the negative behavior (s) or choice (s), the importance of leaving the past in the past, and improving behavior or making better choice (s) in the future.

What I would do to confirm that the recipient received the message the way I intended it is that I would ask the employee directly. If this does not work, I would wait for a reasonable time, for example, a week. Then, I would observe the employee. I try to connect to share my vision. According to Enman (2014) effective communicators connect with, focus on, and learn about others. By previously learning about the employee’s needs and wants, I would be better able to relate to the employees and so understand why they may make the choices they make.

 

 

References:

Enman, C. (2014). Why communication matters. SDM: Security Distributing & Marketing, 44(9), 54.

 

Horstman, M. (2016). The effective manager. Wiley.

2nd Colleague to respond to

I can recall an instance when I was working as an entry level data analyst for a healthcare company and received negative feedback from my supervisor on how I presented my reports. My manager had provided me feedback via email, and it had a highly negative, impatient and hostile tone which made me feel like all my efforts had failed. I understand that delivering negative feedback is an inevitable part of a senior leader’s role, but the way in which the message is conveyed needs to be done in a constructive manner. In the example with my manager and her highly critical email, it wasn’t the feedback that was the issue, I will always invite feedback that will allow me to improve or correct my work, but ultimately it was her tone that was hurtful. If my manager had provided me feedback with a constructive tone, I would have received it better.

Within my current role I had received positive feedback from my director for a video that I created for our department that would explain how to use one of our tools. She had emailed me with a subject heading that read, “Excellent Work”, and wrote a positive and encouraging email. In the email she thanked me for my efforts and validated the work I did by describing the video as well thought-out and presented clearly. Our organization also has a virtual “Good Job” board where staff can put forward the name of an employee that has done something great within the company so his or her work can be celebrated and highlighted within the organization. She submitted my name and highlighted the work I did to the company “Good Job” board. Her email and recognition of my work made me feel encouraged and proud of the work that I produced. I believe both her content and delivery of feedback were effective when providing positive feedback.

When comparing the instances, I experienced of receiving both negative and positive feedback, I believe that the only reason the negative feedback wasn’t productive was because my manager did not provide it in a constructive manner. Her criticisms and hostile tone clouded the objective feedback I needed to glean from the email that would enable me to improve my reports. For me, my preference to receive feedback from a boss or colleague is through either email or in person. I believe that a well written email is just as effective as an in-person discussion. If the nature of the feedback is sensitive, especially if it is a difficult conversation, it is best done in person. If a message is congratulatory in tone, I believe that an email communication works well. I also like positive emails so that I can keep a record of all the positive feedback I receive, which can’t be done when positive feedback is delivered in person.

As a manager, if I was in a situation whereby, I needed to deliver negative feedback I would ensure that I first determined the most appropriate method of communication which would be in-person and not via an asynchronous method. Furthermore, I would ensure that I prepare for the meeting, and do it in a one-on-one setting and not with others around (Furnham, 2017). In order to confirm that the recipient received my intended feedback I would invite him or her to provide a response and ask questions and then coordinate a follow up meeting to ensure the message was understood (Furnham, 2017). Furthermore, when listening, as a manager I will need to make sure that I do not fall victim to the traps of interrupting, finishing the other person’s sentences or rehearsing what I will say while the other person is speaking (Takash, 2010).

References

Takash, J. (2010). The four sins of poor listening. Smart Business Chicago, 8(2), 6.

Furnham, A. (2017). There’s no easy way to say this…Professional Manager, pp. 72-73.

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