Feedback? Or Exploration?
(Part 1 of 3)
“I delegated a task to them and it wasn’t done right! Time for some Feedback!”
Are you sure?
if you shortcut the exploration, and dive into feedback you damage to this professional relationship and reduce their - and your - growth
“It’s my job to help them improve!”
As their leader, your job is definitely to help them expand into their potential! What will that feedback provide right now?
“They need to know what went wrong so it doesn’t happen again, and they need to know how to fix it!”
That truth rests on three cascading assumptions:
You were very clear in your communication.
They don’t know they went wrong and you do.
They don’t know how to fix it, and, you do.
What if you are wrong?
How have you felt when a boss reprimanded you, or provided feedback, for doing something “wrong,” when in fact you had misunderstood what was expected?
“How have you felt when a boss reprimanded you, or provided feedback, for doing something “wrong,” when in fact you had misunderstood what was expected?”
It might be a great opportunity for productive feedback. However, if you shortcut the exploration, what’s the downside? Might you damage your leader-team member relationship and reduce their potential growth?
Pause to Explore.
“I delegated the task to them and it wasn’t done right!”
You had expectations about how the task should be done.
What were their expectations? Did they understand your expectations? Were their expectations aligned with yours?
I once was asked (by my “boss”) to “please build a reindeer for my peddle car.”
My understanding - my expectations - of the request was an impossibly complex structure.
What they expected was a cardboard tent with a reindeer drawn on it (and coloured in) that would fit over top of the person (my boss) peddling the little car. . . .
Our mis-matched expectations had me running away from what proved to be a pleasant afternoon’s adventure!
“I asked them if they understood! They said they did.”
Perhaps they believed they understood your expectations – you can’t be sure if they haven’t explained what they are thinking.
Or, is it possible they were agreeing because you are the boss and to admit they didn’t understand might have felt risky?
At the outset, when the task was accepted, what had they believed success would look like? You won’t know if you don’t ask. . . and you won’t know how you might improve in your communication if you don’t validate this!
If it turns out that your expectations didn’t align with their idea of success, what will feedback result in?
Remember how you felt when you realized that what your boss expected was not your understanding? I recall to clearly “had I known, I would have taken a different approach and I wouldn’t be standing here feeling like an fool!”.
If, at the outset, you had clarity and you agreed with what they had defined as “success”, you were confident your expectations were aligned when the task was initially accepted, and it still isn’t going as you expected, feedback may be in order. Or maybe not - stay tuned for the next post!
Expand the intent
Exploration into how your team member thinks isn’t about correcting someone else—it’s about learning if your communication is clear and optimal - and may provide insights how to improve.