— To follow is a bullet of wisdom on leadership. It comes from Tom’s rifle, named Shot, who has seen it all. You’ll get the drift by clicking Blog in the menu above. —
OKAY, I’M A DUMB RIFLE, but I still have observed that nobody, nothing likes pruning when it’s done to them. But later they value the results, if there are results. Whoa, you say, no results? Yep, can happen and you can even have negative results. Only good pruning yields positive results. You probably already knew that–it’s the old fashioned way.
So, leaders, what’s good pruning when it comes to your employees? Constructive feedback. And what makes it good? Start with good timing—what works best for the situation and your employees? Chances are that immediate feedback is typically best, but oft-times the timing needs to be adjusted so as to help and not hinder the employee. Stay on performance and avoid character and personality. Be specific—have details about what was errant and details about what is correct. Follow-up—review, reinforcement, and remodeling are typically necessary. One more: Stay in relationship. Without good relations the feedback will feel like attack and with that spurious reactions are likely.