1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,960 You are listening to the New Manager podcast. 2 00:00:02,960 --> 00:00:11,200 I am your host, Kim Nichol. Hello and welcome. 3 00:00:11,280 --> 00:00:13,800 I'm glad you're here and I hope you're doing well. 4 00:00:14,200 --> 00:00:20,720 A few days ago, the 2026 State of the Global Workplace report 5 00:00:20,960 --> 00:00:24,880 published by Gallup came out, and I'm still making my way 6 00:00:24,880 --> 00:00:28,160 through some of the detail. But one thing stood out to me 7 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:35,840 and it's that they said 20% of employees worldwide are engaged 8 00:00:35,880 --> 00:00:39,760 at work. I don't know if that feels like 9 00:00:39,800 --> 00:00:45,120 an accurate representation for what you experienced in your 10 00:00:45,120 --> 00:00:49,840 workplace. But what they reported globally 11 00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:55,520 was that engagement is down, that it used to be higher and 12 00:00:55,520 --> 00:01:03,240 it's now quite low. And they also added 64% of 13 00:01:03,240 --> 00:01:12,920 employees are not engaged and 16% are actively disengaged. 14 00:01:13,440 --> 00:01:19,560 So this is not great, but it might make sense in light of all 15 00:01:19,560 --> 00:01:23,000 of the different change and challenge and some of the 16 00:01:23,720 --> 00:01:28,920 concurrent changes that are happening in the world and in 17 00:01:28,920 --> 00:01:32,040 many industries right now. People are tired. 18 00:01:32,880 --> 00:01:36,080 So it makes you no sense that there might be some 19 00:01:36,080 --> 00:01:40,320 disengagement and that it might be at a higher level than in the 20 00:01:40,320 --> 00:01:42,960 past. What I think is interesting 21 00:01:42,960 --> 00:01:47,480 about this is if we ask, well, OK, so if there's something we 22 00:01:47,480 --> 00:01:53,680 want to do to change that, what is something that a person could 23 00:01:53,680 --> 00:02:00,840 do to have a positive effect on the level of engagement in their 24 00:02:00,840 --> 00:02:05,920 sphere? So within your specific work 25 00:02:05,920 --> 00:02:11,360 environment with your particular team and what is something that 26 00:02:11,360 --> 00:02:16,680 you could do today that might have a positive effect that 27 00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:23,080 didn't require a huge plan, a big budget, any kind of 28 00:02:23,080 --> 00:02:27,520 organizational decision and something that you would have to 29 00:02:27,520 --> 00:02:31,680 get a lot of buy in towards because those things are great. 30 00:02:31,880 --> 00:02:37,080 But also we want to think in terms of what different levels 31 00:02:37,080 --> 00:02:42,960 of scope you can affect. And so some of those bigger 32 00:02:43,120 --> 00:02:47,320 policy changes that might take place in your organization, like 33 00:02:47,720 --> 00:02:51,840 maybe your organization increases the budget for 34 00:02:51,840 --> 00:02:56,320 professional development and maybe they enable and empower 35 00:02:56,320 --> 00:02:59,280 you to find the kind of professional development 36 00:02:59,280 --> 00:03:01,920 resources you like. That's actually something I've 37 00:03:01,920 --> 00:03:06,520 seen happen a couple of times, like one person begins to 38 00:03:06,520 --> 00:03:10,400 advocate for this within their organization, and then it 39 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:14,600 becomes something that leadership decides that this is 40 00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:18,400 actually a great idea. And then they establish a new 41 00:03:18,400 --> 00:03:24,840 policy and create a new benefit that encourages people to really 42 00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:28,800 take more ownership over their professional development by 43 00:03:28,800 --> 00:03:32,360 saying, here's a budget that you can use this year. 44 00:03:32,720 --> 00:03:36,680 Find the kind of learning experiences that you want that 45 00:03:36,680 --> 00:03:39,360 will help you grow. And we will pay for it. 46 00:03:39,760 --> 00:03:44,400 So, you know, sometimes we get to to create those structural 47 00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:47,000 changes within the systems in which we work. 48 00:03:47,600 --> 00:03:51,720 But the question then still, what is one thing that could 49 00:03:51,720 --> 00:03:54,440 make a positive difference that you could do today without 50 00:03:54,440 --> 00:03:59,400 having to have a meeting about it, get approval for it or get 51 00:03:59,400 --> 00:04:01,960 buy in from different stakeholders in your 52 00:04:01,960 --> 00:04:07,560 organization, Something that you could do on a more immediate and 53 00:04:07,560 --> 00:04:13,040 subtle level. And for me that's feedback. 54 00:04:13,680 --> 00:04:18,360 And feedback is something that is a core skill in any 55 00:04:18,360 --> 00:04:22,640 organization and in any stage of your career. 56 00:04:22,880 --> 00:04:27,920 Honestly, before you even have direct reports or formal manager 57 00:04:27,920 --> 00:04:33,320 responsibility, learning how to do the skill of feedback is 58 00:04:33,320 --> 00:04:37,600 something that is really useful. It's a kind of communication 59 00:04:37,600 --> 00:04:42,360 with a very specific desired outcome. 60 00:04:42,800 --> 00:04:47,080 And you will give feedback in formal settings, but also in 61 00:04:47,080 --> 00:04:52,080 informal settings as a way of shaping culture, shaping working 62 00:04:52,080 --> 00:04:55,760 relationships. And we might not see it that way 63 00:04:55,760 --> 00:04:59,320 in the beginning. What I'm telling you that is 64 00:04:59,320 --> 00:05:04,360 what what happens when we become intentional and how we think 65 00:05:04,360 --> 00:05:10,280 about feedback as a key skill and a type of communication that 66 00:05:10,280 --> 00:05:15,600 we use in the workplace. And so with feedback, an 67 00:05:15,600 --> 00:05:22,280 interesting thing that I've learned is that 65% of employees 68 00:05:22,800 --> 00:05:28,080 say they want more feedback. And when employees receive 69 00:05:28,080 --> 00:05:36,080 meaningful feedback, 80% report being fully engaged. 70 00:05:36,640 --> 00:05:41,280 So imagine if you wanted to have a positive effect and invite 71 00:05:41,280 --> 00:05:46,360 more engagement, you could simply do it through the way 72 00:05:46,360 --> 00:05:50,840 that you give feedback by making it meaningful. 73 00:05:51,640 --> 00:05:53,680 So what makes meaningful feedback? 74 00:05:53,880 --> 00:05:58,280 Well, I describe it in two ways. 1 is that it's crunchy, it's 75 00:05:58,280 --> 00:06:04,480 specific, it's timely, it's actionable, and it's focused on 76 00:06:04,480 --> 00:06:09,880 behaviors, not someone's personality because behaviors 77 00:06:09,880 --> 00:06:13,600 are something that we can change and we can develop and learn and 78 00:06:13,600 --> 00:06:17,840 grow with. But if someone is being given 79 00:06:17,840 --> 00:06:23,680 feedback on their personality now, we become defensive, we 80 00:06:23,680 --> 00:06:26,520 become guarded. It starts to feel like more of a 81 00:06:26,520 --> 00:06:32,120 personal attack about who we are as a person rather than just, 82 00:06:32,240 --> 00:06:36,040 hey, like, here's this behavior we'd like to see more of, or 83 00:06:36,040 --> 00:06:39,040 here's a behavior that needs to stop, and here's why. 84 00:06:39,720 --> 00:06:44,960 So that's the crunchy part of meaningful feedback, but it's 85 00:06:44,960 --> 00:06:48,480 also warm. This is the human part. 86 00:06:48,800 --> 00:06:53,520 It's empathetic, it's focused on strengths and it's 87 00:06:53,520 --> 00:06:58,520 forward-looking because we're concerned about future growth 88 00:06:58,520 --> 00:07:01,920 and improvement. And it's also conveying a sense 89 00:07:01,920 --> 00:07:07,880 of I believe in you and I am invested in your success and in 90 00:07:07,880 --> 00:07:12,800 you doing well here. I want to help you to succeed 91 00:07:12,800 --> 00:07:15,600 and to do well here. So we're looking to the future 92 00:07:16,040 --> 00:07:20,040 now. As I was preparing the episode 93 00:07:20,040 --> 00:07:24,600 for today, I stumbled upon an interesting study. 94 00:07:24,960 --> 00:07:28,640 And this was something that was published in 2020. 95 00:07:29,040 --> 00:07:35,200 And what they found was that when people receive either mixed 96 00:07:35,200 --> 00:07:39,880 feedback or negative feedback, number one, those people tend to 97 00:07:39,880 --> 00:07:45,440 doubt the accuracy of the feedback and they doubt the 98 00:07:45,440 --> 00:07:48,920 providers qualifications to give it. 99 00:07:49,480 --> 00:07:53,640 So that is like if you give feedback to someone and you and 100 00:07:53,640 --> 00:07:56,080 it's negative, it's something that they need to correct or 101 00:07:56,080 --> 00:08:00,800 change that person who receives that feedback, they are highly 102 00:08:00,800 --> 00:08:05,520 likely to doubt your assessment. That's that thought of you're 103 00:08:05,520 --> 00:08:07,280 not right. That's not right. 104 00:08:07,720 --> 00:08:10,600 I, I didn't fall short in that way. 105 00:08:10,600 --> 00:08:15,720 I did meet those expectations. And they are also doubting your 106 00:08:15,720 --> 00:08:19,200 qualifications to give that feedback. 107 00:08:19,640 --> 00:08:24,160 Even if you are the manager, that doubting of qualifications 108 00:08:24,160 --> 00:08:28,360 might be, well, you don't know, you weren't there, you don't pay 109 00:08:28,360 --> 00:08:31,280 attention, you didn't see what really happened. 110 00:08:31,480 --> 00:08:33,640 You don't have all the information. 111 00:08:34,120 --> 00:08:38,520 And So what the researchers found was that there's more 112 00:08:38,559 --> 00:08:45,080 disagreement about past performance because people who 113 00:08:45,080 --> 00:08:49,600 are receiving that feedback tend to get more defensive, self 114 00:08:49,600 --> 00:08:55,120 protective, and also remembering themselves as maybe better than 115 00:08:55,120 --> 00:08:58,760 they actually were. They describe this as a self 116 00:08:58,920 --> 00:09:05,600 enhancing attribute, but on the other side, they found that 117 00:09:05,600 --> 00:09:11,240 people were more motivated to improve when they perceived the 118 00:09:11,240 --> 00:09:18,360 feedback conversation to be focused on future actions rather 119 00:09:18,600 --> 00:09:24,120 than on past performance. I think that is so noteworthy 120 00:09:24,360 --> 00:09:29,200 because when we have a feedback conversation, obviously we're 121 00:09:29,200 --> 00:09:34,720 basing the conversation on data that happened in the past. 122 00:09:35,280 --> 00:09:37,960 That is what the feedback is based on. 123 00:09:38,240 --> 00:09:42,720 But if all you do is look to the past, this could have been 124 00:09:42,720 --> 00:09:47,120 better, this was not great. Then all you're directing that 125 00:09:47,120 --> 00:09:54,120 person's attention to is a place they cannot change because the 126 00:09:54,120 --> 00:09:57,800 past is now behind us. We can't change that in the 127 00:09:57,800 --> 00:10:00,880 past. It's just done and set. 128 00:10:01,520 --> 00:10:07,400 But if instead we then focus on the future in the future, try 129 00:10:07,400 --> 00:10:12,360 this in the future, approach it this way in the future, do it 130 00:10:12,360 --> 00:10:15,600 this way instead of that other way in the future. 131 00:10:15,600 --> 00:10:19,280 Let's focus on, you know, on this part of the project 132 00:10:19,280 --> 00:10:21,720 instead. When you're focused on the 133 00:10:21,720 --> 00:10:28,720 future, you're now giving them space to actually make a change. 134 00:10:28,720 --> 00:10:33,440 There's actually something they have agency and efficacy and an 135 00:10:33,440 --> 00:10:38,000 ability to do something about. So in a sense, it's almost more 136 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:42,200 forgiving because they're not trapped in something that has 137 00:10:42,240 --> 00:10:47,480 happened and that is complete. So you can look to the past to 138 00:10:47,480 --> 00:10:51,360 inform your feedback. Hey, the way that this happened, 139 00:10:51,360 --> 00:10:55,080 that was not great. The way that you prioritized or 140 00:10:55,080 --> 00:10:59,920 made decisions to focus on this rather than that, that was not, 141 00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:06,040 that was not great. Then look forward going forward, 142 00:11:06,040 --> 00:11:10,800 try this in the future, do that. Now all of a sudden you're 143 00:11:10,800 --> 00:11:15,760 making a bridge from what's complete and finished to what is 144 00:11:15,760 --> 00:11:19,840 possible to what has not yet arrived. 145 00:11:19,840 --> 00:11:25,000 You're helping them set a plan, lay a path forward, and it can 146 00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:29,520 feel more collaborative, like the sense of, hey, I'm on your 147 00:11:29,520 --> 00:11:31,840 side. I want you to do well in the 148 00:11:31,840 --> 00:11:34,000 future. Let's have it look like this. 149 00:11:34,920 --> 00:11:42,000 And so that one distinction that letting feedback be future 150 00:11:42,000 --> 00:11:48,240 focused as a key part of making feedback meaningful, which can 151 00:11:48,240 --> 00:11:53,120 then activate the desire for people to engage more. 152 00:11:53,640 --> 00:11:59,640 It becomes a series of small choices and small actions that 153 00:11:59,640 --> 00:12:06,000 can have an immediate, an outsized positive effect. 154 00:12:06,680 --> 00:12:10,160 And even just describing this, the feeling I have is kind of 155 00:12:10,160 --> 00:12:15,160 like if you've ever had to untangle a knot. 156 00:12:15,880 --> 00:12:18,920 Like if you have as a child and you're brushing that child's 157 00:12:18,920 --> 00:12:23,360 hair and there's a knot and you have to move through the hair a 158 00:12:23,360 --> 00:12:26,880 little bit carefully because you don't want to hurt or cause 159 00:12:26,880 --> 00:12:31,160 discomfort to the child. But you really need to untangle 160 00:12:31,160 --> 00:12:35,720 that knot. And just that one small little 161 00:12:35,720 --> 00:12:41,120 adjustment that creates a little more space that softens the knot 162 00:12:41,120 --> 00:12:46,840 and that allows you to untangle that snarl. 163 00:12:47,200 --> 00:12:51,760 And all of a sudden there's more ease in the system and things 164 00:12:51,760 --> 00:12:55,040 can flow. And now you're looking forward 165 00:12:55,480 --> 00:12:57,520 and you're looking forward together. 166 00:12:57,840 --> 00:13:01,360 And now we're standing side by side, shoulder to shoulder. 167 00:13:01,600 --> 00:13:07,120 It no longer feels oppositional or confrontational. 168 00:13:07,920 --> 00:13:14,400 And I find that that shift from feeling like face to face to now 169 00:13:14,400 --> 00:13:22,880 feeling side by side, it allows for a more of that exhale kind 170 00:13:22,880 --> 00:13:26,960 of feeling like we don't have to hold this tension. 171 00:13:26,960 --> 00:13:30,960 And when we can feel more relaxed, we sleep better at 172 00:13:30,960 --> 00:13:34,880 night, we have more energy for the things that matter, and 173 00:13:34,880 --> 00:13:39,360 we're engaged towards building something that we want to be a 174 00:13:39,360 --> 00:13:44,800 part of rather than feeling heavy or defeated because of 175 00:13:44,800 --> 00:13:49,000 something that went awry in the past. 176 00:13:49,640 --> 00:13:53,920 So feedback matters, you know, not just in these really big 177 00:13:53,920 --> 00:13:57,840 moments when something's wrong, but in little moments when we 178 00:13:57,840 --> 00:14:02,880 are creating trust and wanting to create encouragement and 179 00:14:02,880 --> 00:14:06,560 wanting to signal the things that we value and appreciate 180 00:14:06,560 --> 00:14:09,880 about folks. As well as the small moments 181 00:14:09,880 --> 00:14:16,440 where we might be able to help influence a small shift that can 182 00:14:16,440 --> 00:14:21,640 prevent bigger problems from arising because we're being 183 00:14:21,640 --> 00:14:27,080 present and attentive and willing to address things 184 00:14:27,640 --> 00:14:33,160 directly in a timely way. So remember meaningful feedback, 185 00:14:33,400 --> 00:14:38,240 crunchy and also warm. And it's nice to, you know, to 186 00:14:38,240 --> 00:14:40,600 remember that feedback is a skill. 187 00:14:40,960 --> 00:14:43,040 And so it's something that you can learn. 188 00:14:43,080 --> 00:14:47,240 You can learn how to give it. You can learn how to request it. 189 00:14:47,800 --> 00:14:51,360 I mean, if you work in a place where people are not very good 190 00:14:51,360 --> 00:14:54,640 at giving feedback, or maybe there's just not an 191 00:14:54,640 --> 00:14:59,720 organizational culture of giving feedback, there are ways that 192 00:14:59,720 --> 00:15:04,960 you can request useful, meaningful feedback from people 193 00:15:05,440 --> 00:15:09,760 and make it easy for them to give you valuable information. 194 00:15:10,120 --> 00:15:13,400 And so that's what I wanted to share with you today. 195 00:15:13,400 --> 00:15:17,440 That's something that I would encourage you to keep in mind as 196 00:15:17,440 --> 00:15:22,360 you go through the week ahead to look for opportunities to give 197 00:15:22,360 --> 00:15:25,600 meaningful feedback to even notice. 198 00:15:25,720 --> 00:15:29,560 Is there someone in your work environment who does this 199 00:15:29,560 --> 00:15:32,280 already? Is there someone who gives that 200 00:15:32,280 --> 00:15:36,080 combination of crunchy and warm feedback? 201 00:15:36,320 --> 00:15:41,000 Is there someone you you can see who's already giving the future 202 00:15:41,080 --> 00:15:45,280 folks focused feedback? And is there someone in your 203 00:15:45,280 --> 00:15:51,640 sphere that you might practice with, that you might give future 204 00:15:51,640 --> 00:15:57,400 focused feedback, or that you might plan to give some feedback 205 00:15:57,400 --> 00:16:02,240 to? All of this ties well back into 206 00:16:02,240 --> 00:16:06,600 the Zine that I made for Transform a couple of weeks ago. 207 00:16:07,040 --> 00:16:13,240 I'm really happy to report that I do now have the PDF available 208 00:16:13,240 --> 00:16:18,640 as a free download for you. And not only that, but I also 209 00:16:18,640 --> 00:16:26,280 made a little video to show you how to fold and cut the paper so 210 00:16:26,280 --> 00:16:29,520 that when you put it together like it folds nicely. 211 00:16:29,840 --> 00:16:34,040 The one thing I do have to say is that at the moment it's only 212 00:16:34,040 --> 00:16:40,600 formatted for US letter size. And so if that is not your 213 00:16:40,600 --> 00:16:46,680 standard paper, then you might have to make some adjustments. 214 00:16:46,680 --> 00:16:51,120 You might need to trim part of it so that it's a little bit 215 00:16:51,120 --> 00:16:53,120 shorter and then it will fold correctly. 216 00:16:53,440 --> 00:16:56,320 I, it will make sense. You are an intelligent person. 217 00:16:56,320 --> 00:16:59,080 I know you will figure this out. You have solved much more 218 00:16:59,080 --> 00:17:04,280 complex problems than the the challenge of printing something 219 00:17:04,280 --> 00:17:07,599 out and folding it and cutting it with scissors. 220 00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:12,560 So you will find in the show notes a link to where you'll get 221 00:17:12,560 --> 00:17:17,280 the download as well as a video of how to fold it. 222 00:17:17,520 --> 00:17:21,680 And in the video too, you'll also get to see exactly what's 223 00:17:21,680 --> 00:17:25,599 on the page and what it looks like when it's all folded up. 224 00:17:25,920 --> 00:17:27,839 I think it's kind of a neat tool. 225 00:17:27,960 --> 00:17:32,400 And you know, you can also, you know, create this and you can 226 00:17:32,400 --> 00:17:35,520 use it yourself, or you could share it with a friend or a 227 00:17:35,520 --> 00:17:41,120 colleague if that becomes a useful full tool or resource for 228 00:17:41,120 --> 00:17:43,480 you. Please make good use of it. 229 00:17:43,960 --> 00:17:47,360 So that is what I had to share with you today. 230 00:17:47,640 --> 00:17:49,360 I hope you have a really great week. 231 00:17:49,600 --> 00:17:53,720 Thank you so much for listening. Thank you for leaving a rating 232 00:17:53,720 --> 00:17:56,480 or a review. They really do make a difference 233 00:17:56,480 --> 00:18:00,520 and it means a lot to me. And I will talk to you again 234 00:18:00,560 --> 00:18:07,000 next time. When you're more effective at 235 00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:08,920 work, you're happier in your life. 236 00:18:09,320 --> 00:18:12,400 And when you're happier in your life, you're more effective at 237 00:18:12,400 --> 00:18:14,040 work. I can help. 238 00:18:14,240 --> 00:18:18,640 Go to my website, kimnickel.com, and sign up for a coaching 239 00:18:18,640 --> 00:18:21,080 consult. It can get better.