“Cultivate — How to Bring Out the Best in People” by Rex Houze (Better Results Publishing, $7.95).Taking a cue from the book, I opened a management presentation on the role of critical thinking in employee development with a slide that had a picture of an acorn. I asked: “What is this?” Acorn and nut were […]
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“Cultivate — How to Bring Out the Best in People” by Rex Houze (Better Results Publishing, $7.95).
Taking a cue from the book, I opened a management presentation on the role of critical thinking in employee development with a slide that had a picture of an acorn. I asked: “What is this?” Acorn and nut were their answers. I asked them to take a few minutes to dig deeper. A hand shot up about 30 seconds later — “It's a future oak tree.” That was the answer that showed critical thinking because it dealt with “what could be.”
Just as an acorn can grow into a mighty oak tree with the proper cultivation, a forest of productive employees and teams can be created by managers who provide the right “nourishment.” Houze believes “frequent and specific feedback” provides employees much of the nourishment they need.
Why? Timely information about their results frames their attitude about what's next. Houze looks at feedback from three performance perspectives: 1. Positive — Encourages employees to “repeat their behavior and build on their successes.” It's the “build on” that creates motivation to tackle challenges.
2. Negative — Tells employees to watch their steps. This leads to only doing what they're told. Houze points out the difference between negative (destructive) and constructive (instructive) feedback aimed at performance improvement. When something goes awry, the feedback should focus on what was learned so outcomes will improve.
3. No feedback — By not providing performance-related information on a timely basis, employees wonder what their next performance review will say. They usually began thinking “no news is bad news.” As a result, their productivity declines — and so does that of the manager.
Houze also believes that managers need feedback to know if they're providing what employees need to get their jobs done.
Tangible rewards provide nourishment, too. Something simple like an “Employee of the Month” award sends a positive message to your team.
