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When people experience dissatisfaction at work, often the root cause is because they feel a lack of recognition.
Feedback has become the f-word of the working world. Many cringe when they hear the word because they know what's coming - criticism, unfairness or lip-service. What we crave is genuine and beneficial feedback. Recognition is an example of this.
Have you ever played the children's game 'Hunt The Thimble'? This is where a thimble is hidden in a room and the seeker is guided by calls of 'warmer' or 'colder' as they approach or move away from the target. Sometimes things get 'very hot' or 'freezing'!
The fun is not so much in finding the thimble - after all you can't eat it, wear it or sell it - but in the feedback. It's the guiding shouts that create the real engagement. As seeker, you know you are involved and what you can do next.
At work we want to know we are making a difference. We don't like to see our efforts apparently disappearing into the ether. And we only know we are making a difference by getting feedback.
So how can we get the recognition we want?
The key is to increase the level of feedback you get. Genuine feedback 'feeds forward' so that we can learn from our experience and adapt our behavior in the future. As you get more feedback of this quality, some of it will be the recognition you want and the rest will be useful in other ways.
Here is a 3 step approach you can use:
1. Create a climate of feedback. While we can't change the culture single-handed, we can make it quite clear that personally we invite feedback. As part of your preparation in doing something, you can ask someone to supply feedback.
Suppose you are delivering a presentation in the near future. Ask a member of the audience beforehand to give you feedback. This works much better if you ask for it in specific areas - eg. 'first impressions, the attention of the audience is held and how the questions at the end are answered'.
Alternatively you could ask for feedback after you have completed a task. Here the giver is not pre-warned so the coverage of the areas you are particularly interested in may be more partial.
2. Get feedback from a wide range of sources. Many people get frustrated because their boss does not give them the feedback they want (By putting step 1 in place you will inevitably influence this but in the end you cannot make someone do something). So open up and tune in to feedback from less obvious sources - colleagues, customers, suppliers, affiliates, visitors, recruits and so on. What difference are you making here?
3. Experiment with new approaches and attitudes. When something is not working very well, so we are not getting the feedback we want, it is tempting to redouble our efforts and do the same thing again but harder. This is especially true with recognition. When getting in early and leaving late doesn't get it, we come in even earlier and leave even later!
We don't need to see feedback as a threat. We can influence both its source and quality to get more of the recognition we want.
Trevor Hill works with groups and individuals who want to make their work worthwhile and satisfying. As a qualified coach, he guides and supports them while they boost their motivation and reinvigorate their working lives. He believes that as we spend a major part of our lives at work, we should aim to get the most from it. Download your FREE copy of Trevor's e-book 'Passport To Inspiration' at
http://www.inspiration-at-work.co.uk
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