Waikato Business News September/October 2017

WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS September/October 2017 51
Feedback is your friend, not foe!
When did you last tell one of your team
what a great job he or she is doing? Positive
feedback is a critical element in high
performing businesses, but many managers
don’t feel comfortable giving praise.
Similarly, we appear to
have even more of a dislike
to giving constructive
feedback or suggestions
to improve work performance.
Many of our clients tell us they
don’t feel comfortable giving
any form of feedback – they
say it takes too much time,
feels insincere, or often just
gets in the way of day-to-day
activities. Surely I don’t have
to praise someone every time
they do something they are
paid to do? They must know I
appreciate them!
However, they are missing
a valuable business-boosting
opportunity. Few things will
do more to build trust, boost
morale among the team than
ongoing, authentic and yes,
positive feedback. More on the
constructive stuff soon…..
As human beings we are
hard wired with a negative lens.
It takes a conscious effort to
think positively, look for positives
in people and generally
recognise “good or great” in
our environments. Alas though,
the counter to this wiring is that
us humans have an innate need
to seek feedback on how we are
doing. If we don’t receive it, we
tend to make up information to
fill the void – and it’s almost
always negative. We are such
complicated beings us humans!
So what are the benefits of
actively giving positive feedback?
Firstly it prevents those
destructive information gaps I
mentioned before. It most definitely
strengthens relationships
between employees and their
supervisor; undoubtedly it will
improve the quality of work
and increase accountability for
outcomes, but overall the most
impact feedback creates is the
generation of a higher-performing
work environment.
Yes, that’s right – the more positive
feedback you identify and
give to individuals – the greater
their output and engagement
with your business.
If you’re a novice at giving
positive feedback – perhaps
you might want to start with
small steps – look for things
that individuals are genuinely
doing well, take a moment to
pause, and then say something
simple like “John, I really like
the relationships you’ve created
with our clients – I know
they appreciate it –as do I”. Or
words to that effect! It doesn’t
take long to warmly recognise
someone’s efforts. There are
literally oodles of positive experiences
happening at work
every single day but the good
old human in us typically only
spots the negatives and jumps
on those!
Speaking of constructive
feedback – it’s a topic that
generally gets avoided like the
plague. It’s too hard, we don’t
like to upset people, we don’t
know how the other person
will react, it’s easier just to ignore
the bad behaviour or error
and hope that it doesn’t happen
again. Any of those sound familiar
to you? Given that positive
feedback creates a high
performing work environment,
what do you think the impact
of not providing constructive
feedback is? Ignoring bad behaviour
or mistakes tells the
MANAGEMENT AND HR
> BY SENGA ALLEN
Managing Director, Everest Group Limited, Everest Group, Creating
Exceptional Workplaces, www.everestgroup.co.nz
Two hours free parking
in the CBD starts October
Free parking for up to two hours a
day in Hamilton’s CBD starts in
October, part of a plan to revitalise
and boost the central city.
Councillor Geoff Taylor, chairman of
the council’s Parking Task Force which
developed the free parking initiative,
says he has had plenty of feedback that
the change will be welcomed.
“From October visitors to the city
centre can park for up to two hours in
our on-street metered parks, between
8am and 8pm, Monday to Saturday.
This could be for two hours in one
parking space or a combination of short
stays in two or more parks,” councillor
rest of your team that behaviour
is acceptable and worse still,
endorsed by management; it reassures
the individual who actually
needs the feedback that
actually their behaviour is OK
but most worryingly it reduces
your effectiveness as a leader.
Seize those opportunities to
identify positive behaviours,
tell team members when they
are doing something really well
and jump on those small issues
that can lead to larger monsters
Taylor says.
“After the two hours, there’s a charge
of $6 per hour which will encourage longer-term
parkers and commuters to use
the nearby parking buildings. This will
free up spaces for shoppers, diners and
people having meetings in the central
city.”
The parking plan, which will be trialled
under next June, will make use of
recent parking technology changes in the
CBD.
More than 1000 sensors have been installed
in all metered parking bays in the
central city which will provide real-time
data on usage of parking spaces. The
if not dealt with. Feedback is
most definitely your friend
and should not be feared. Start
practicing today and notice
how much more effective you
can become as a leader in your
business.
sensors are also linked to a free app, Pay
My Park, which allows users to check
parking availability, get reminders when
their parking is due to expire and pay for
parking via their mobile device.
Councillor Taylor says the data will
also provide great information about
parking trends and will assist in determining
whether the trial is a success.
A review of parking is one of the
elements of the Central City Transformation
Plan, a long-term approach to
enhance the central city.
Disclaimer: Geoff Taylor is also editor
of Waikato Business News.
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