Coaching with Feedback

Quick reference

• 00:04 Hi, I'm Ray Sheen.
• 00:06 Now, let's talk about using feedback while coaching.
• 00:08 You know effective, positive and negative feedback is invaluable, but poor
• 00:13 feedback will derail your project team or the green belts you're trying to coach.
• 00:18 First, some general principles on Giving and Receiving Feedback.
• 00:23 Here are some ground rules for giving feedback.
• 00:26 Timely and focused.
• 00:27 People know what they did right and wrong and
• 00:29 can use that to guide their future actions.
• 00:32 Weave positive and negative feedback together.
• 00:35 I do an exercise in some classes where we have four volunteers
• 00:38 attempt to solve the same puzzle.
• 00:40 In one case, the rest of class, which does know the answer, provides no feedback.
• 00:45 And in another case, they only provide positive feedback.
• 00:48 In the third case, they only provide negative feedback.
• 00:50 And in the final case, they provide both positive and negative feedback.
• 00:55 With the caveat that the individuals trust the feedback that they are given,
• 00:59 we find that there is not much difference in time between the no feedback,
• 01:03 positive feedback only and negative feedback only.
• 01:06 However, when both positive and the negative feedback are provided together,
• 01:11 the problem is solved correctly in a fraction of the time.
• 01:14 Also, be prepared with specific feedback and recommendations,
• 01:18 and follow up on a regular basis.
• 01:20 Receiving feedback can also be a challenge.
• 01:23 You may need to coach some of your green belts on how to receive feedback.
• 01:27 A key is, to take emotion out of the equation as much as possible.
• 01:31 That means disregard your ego and keep an open mind.
• 01:35 It's not attacking you personally.
• 01:37 It's improving the skill set.
• 01:39 So relax, breathe and
• 01:41 consider what actions you need to do first in light of this feedback.
• 01:45 Let's dig a little deeper into the positive feedback and
• 01:48 review some guidelines.
• 01:50 The purpose of positive feedback is to reinforce good actions and decisions.
• 01:54 Don't assume that they know they did something right, tell them.
• 01:58 Since you want to reinforce good actions and
• 02:00 decisions, let them know what action or decision has earned the praise.
• 02:05 Tailor your comments to reflect the circumstances.
• 02:09 That means, you want to have facts or
• 02:10 examples that illustrate the good work that you are commending.
• 02:14 You want to make sure that they understand what they should replicate in the future.
• 02:19 A good rule of thumb is to compliment someone
• 02:21 as soon as you see them doing something that deserves recognition.
• 02:25 The old saying is, catch someone doing something right and
• 02:27 immediately acknowledge it.
• 02:29 This creates a much tighter connection in the minds of the individual and
• 02:33 those around who observe it.
• 02:35 Which leads to the next point.
• 02:37 Public praise is good.
• 02:39 It's good for the individual to be recognized among their peers and
• 02:42 it's good for the peers to have an example to point to.
• 02:46 But be careful to match the level of praise to the accomplishment.
• 02:49 Massively over or under recognition leads to sense of insincerity.
• 02:54 They feel that you are doing the praise to check a box,
• 02:57 not because you value their contribution.
• 02:59 If you can, personalize it in some way so
• 03:01 that the individual knows that you really have noticed it.
• 03:04 But don't personalize it so that it turns into being praise about yourself and
• 03:08 giving the other person an acknowledgment for some small assist that they provided.
• 03:13 Finally, words are great but something substantial is also, so if you can,
• 03:18 put your money where your mouth is and provide a reward of some type.
• 03:21 Now, we'll switch gears and take a look at negative feedback.
• 03:25 Negative feedback, if taken and received in the right way,
• 03:28 is a powerful force for improvement.
• 03:30 You eliminate a defect or source of variation, which is good.
• 03:34 Many of the guidelines for giving negative feedback are similar to those for
• 03:38 positive feedback.
• 03:39 So for instance, know why you're providing the feedback and tailor your comments.
• 03:43 Also, have examples or illustrations that demonstrate your point.
• 03:48 Provide the feedback as soon as practical, to minimize the problems
• 03:52 that the behavior is creating and reducing the likelihood of developing bad habits.
• 03:57 Negative feedback should be given in private though, not in public, so
• 04:01 as in order not to humiliate the person.
• 04:04 I know that for some people, giving negative feedback is uncomfortable.
• 04:08 They don't like to distress or criticize others.
• 04:11 But for the negative feedback to be useful, it needs to be specific and
• 04:15 not obscure.
• 04:16 For instance, telling someone that they just need to be more of a team player
• 04:20 is not useful feedback.
• 04:22 They thought they were working with the team.
• 04:24 Instead, tell them that when they criticize everyone else's work without
• 04:28 providing any positive comments, the rest of the team feels
• 04:32 that the individual is just trying to undermine everyone else's efforts.
• 04:36 Which leads to a key principle when providing negative feedback.
• 04:39 Always provide a recommendation for what they should be doing differently,
• 04:43 going forward.
• 04:44 Finally, empathize with them.
• 04:46 They may feel that they have been bullied or belittled.
• 04:49 Let them know that they are valued and
• 04:51 that you have their best interest at heart.
• 04:54 That didn't change the facts, so don't let them off the hook for
• 04:57 inappropriate actions.
• 04:59 This brings us to our final point, building trust.
• 05:02 Good feedback will build trust with the green belts you are coaching
• 05:05 because they will become convinced that you have positive intent, ability, and
• 05:09 character, and that you are trying to help them achieve their goal.
• 05:14 Honest feed back, both positive and negative, delivered in the manner that
• 05:18 we've outlined in the previous slides, will enhance trust.
• 05:21 You know, trust comes about based upon the answer of the following questions and
• 05:25 good feedback will provide positive answers to each of these questions.
• 05:29 Am I comfortable interacting with you?
• 05:31 Do you treat me with respect when providing feedback?
• 05:34 Do you have positive intent?
• 05:36 Is your intent to help me, or to use me to help yourself?
• 05:40 Is the feedback to improve my performance, or to give you a boost?
• 05:44 Do you understand my point of view?
• 05:46 Are you empathizing when providing negative feedback?
• 05:49 Do you add value to me?
• 05:51 Do you recommend actions that will help me achieve my goals or priorities?
• 05:55 Do you act with integrity?
• 05:57 Can I rely on you to do what you will say when you say you will do it?
• 06:02 Can I always believe what you tell me?
• 06:05 As a black belt coach,
• 06:06 you'll find numerous opportunities to provide feedback.
• 06:10 Learn how to deliver both positive and negative feedback well.

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