Digital feedback anyone ?

In a recent workshop to help managers provide feedback - both positive and negative - to help with their team members' development, I was taken aback by a question of one of the participants ...

"Can we also give feedback by email ?"

Managers in Asia struggle with giving feedback, in particular the feedback for improvement. The fear of "what the discussion will lead to" very often simply means that managers avoid addressing the issues, and the team members don't get the feedback that would allow them to do better. Issues remain unsaid for way too long until they reach crisis proportions, and then it becomes easily an end-of-employment discussion. Lose-lose for sure. 

So now it seems that (maybe) some have found a solution: feedback by email !! After all, they must be thinking it is better than avoiding giving feedback all together, and sending out a feedback email means they can 'tick' this off of their to-do list. "Oh yes, I did give him the feedback ...!". There is nothing so easy to ignore as an email. And sending an email tells a lot about the effort the manager is willing to put into this ... The medium IS the message.

So no, giving feedback for improvement does not happen by email. Muster the courage to have a face-to-face conversation. Get comfortable (before you start) with the fact that the conversation will probably not turn out exactly as you have in mind. And keep in mind, whichever way the conversation goes, that your target is a win-win solution. Finally, don't forget that this is a conversation, so catch yourself when you become aware you are the one doing all the talking: ask a question, shut it and listen.

Dreaming of an all-star team ?

The football/soccer world cup is just finished, the champions have been crowned and life is back to normal. Each of the participating teams have an excuse of why they did not become world champions, either one or a combination of the pitch, the weather, the referee, the ball or the opponents. If there is anything the pundits agree about, it is that the best team won. The best team. Not the team with the best players. It is clear the Germans played like a team, not just a star player with 10 others who circle around him.

And yet despite this consensus about the best team winning, the same armchair pundits immediately announce to the world their “dream team”, with the star players picked from several countries in each position. Messi, Neymar, Ronaldo, and 8 more big names. The dream team even has a “dream coach” ! Can you just for one minute imagine that this “dream team” actually plays a game together ? I think it would be rather fun, or maybe sad, to watch !

Something similar often happens in organizations. Managers often see the limits of their current employees, and imagine that "out there", there are star players that would turn around the whole organization's performance in a heart beat. If only I could get hold of these dream players who will set off sparks and turn dust into gold ! If only I could find the perfect purchasing/production/marketing/sales manager, then all would be great ! 

Well, working with a team in an organization might not be the same as a football team, when it comes to star players, the challenges are very similar. I have seen teams where nobody really stood out, but where everybody effectively worked together and moved forward. I have also seen "star players" joining a team, and the situation becoming much more complicated and tense than before.

Before hiring that superman/woman, think about what you have in your team, and what unexplored or non-optimized potential remains. I am quite sure that exploring - for real - the potential in your existing team will be a better approach to move your organization to the next level, than dreaming of the hero that will single-handedly deliver miracles.