Welcome to the New Manager Podcast.
I'm your host, Kim Nichol. Hello and welcome.
I'm glad you're here and I hope you're doing well.
Today, we need to talk about feedback first.
It is a requirement that when you are a manager, you will be
required to give feedback. There will likely be some formal
structure or process in your organization, but even if
there's not, and actually especially if there's not, there
will still be an expectation that you will give feedback to
the people on your team so that they know how they're doing.
If they need to course correct. If they need to do something
differently, your job is to communicate that to them in a
way that helps them know what they need to do and feel
supported in making any changes. And I'm talking about this today
specifically because we are almost in September, which means
the end of the year is quickly approaching.
And if you do not have a feedback strategy then you risk
ending up with a deadline and no data, no plan and trying to
remember what people have been doing all year.
And you risk not being prepared to have conversations with
people that sometimes can feel a little uncomfortable.
I was talking with one of my clients recently and she is
still remembers that one of her earliest work experiences, she
had a manager who never gave her feedback until it came time for
the performance review. And then she learned all of
these things that her manager didn't think she was doing well
and it ended up being kind of a surprise and kind of a dumping
on her. She's like, why did she not tell
me any of this sooner? She's like, as my manager, isn't
it her job to let me know ahead of time so that I can make any
changes if I need to? And she had carried this weight
for a long time. She thought, was there something
about me that my manager couldn't tell me what was going
on? Like, I trusted her.
I thought we had a good relationship.
She always gave me positive feedback until the performance
review. And then all these things came
out and it just felt really bad. And as we coached, what occurred
to her was that, you know what, her manager had never been
trained, had 0 guidance in knowing how to be an effective
manager and how to communicate and give feedback in a way that
builds trust and creates a great working relationship.
So it's not like she was being intentional in not giving the
feedback. She just had no framework for
thinking about how to do it. And this happens so often,
especially when there are lots of things to do and it can feel
like there's a lot of work where you just need to get the work
done. And when you're giving feedback,
it requires that you pause, take a step back, look at the big
picture, make some decisions about what feedback you want to
give and why. And it's a different process.
It's a different thought process.
It's a different strategic process and there may be some
specific skills in terms of how to communicate in an effective
way. And when I work with my clients,
I teach you this like I will teach you how you need to be
thinking and looking at the situation so that you are
prepared so it is now September. Do not leave feedback for the
last moment for the end of the year.
Let me tell you, you do not want to find yourself in November or
December. Looking at the list of all the
people you have to give formal feedback to and trying to
reconstruct in your mind, what did we do this year?
What? What did they do well?
What problems did did they face? What is their growth going to
look like for the coming year? Trust me, that is not a fun
place to be. Ask me how I know It is so
common that when you get promoted to a manager, this one
thing you know that you're expected to give feedback, is
often neglected. And it doesn't have to be that
way. It's one of the smallest things
that will make the biggest difference, both in terms of you
being equipped, feeling prepared, feeling comfortable
and confident about the way that you're able to give feedback,
knowing that it is effective, that you are creating trust,
that you are doing a good job. It's something that we can
handle and it's something that I love to help my clients get a
better grip on so that they feel more in control.
This is something where it's really important that you have a
working perspective and a framework so that you can be
more intentional about the way that you do this.
So that is what I wanted to talk to you today, really short, you
know, podcast episode. Because all you need to know
really is that feedback is your job.
It's okay if no one has ever given you training on it.
That is normal. But your career is in your
hands. Your professional development is
up to you. That's why you found this
podcast, It's why you're listening and things can get
better. You can learn how to do this.
When I work with you, we will go over the strategic thinking you
need to give feedback. We'll talk about the different
communication skills and potential pitfalls.
I'm going to give you a framework that does not involve
sandwiches. If you've been listening to this
podcast, you know I have some opinions about the sandwich
framework. It is not my favorite, although
I understand why people use it. What I found is it turns turns
out to be less effective over time.
People don't actually receive the message as intended and it
is so important that you learn how to feel confident in the way
that you communicate feedback and that you have developed the
self-awareness to know where you will get in your own way, what
your strengths are, and how to really do this in a way that
works for you and also in the context of your team.
So that is what I wanted to share with you today.
Very short, very sweet. Sometimes that is all that we
need to make a big difference. Lastly, join the group program
we're starting September 12th. You're going to learn more about
strategic thinking, communication skills and how to
feel more confident and boost that selfawareness so you can be
more effective at work feeling better about it day-to-day.
And it's also going to set you up for a longer term success in
your career. Why wait until later when you
can Start learning this in a great community of other
learners? Now you'll find the link in the
show notes. All right, thanks so much for
listening. Have a great week and I'll talk
to you next time. Hey, before you go, if you like
this podcast, leave a review. Tell me why you listen and what
has helped you. Thanks so much.
I'll see you next time.