Step 7: Provide Regular Feedback and Assessments

A number of you have asked me to continue on the Ten Step Trades Leadership writing. I've had the busiest two years of my life working with heavy industry. There have been so many opportunities to learn about teams and about company culture, including our own. I intend to pick up where I left off and post a bit more frequently going forward.

Very few employees desire to work in a performance vacuum where feedback is seldom or never given. Feeling neglected is a common complaint from many in the companies where we visit. 

Traditionally most people think of feedback only as something that a leader provides to someone on his or her team. But it is actually best thought of as a two-way street where feedback can flow in either direction and where it can be initiated from either side. As much as leaders may need to be reminded from time to time to provide feedback to their employees, the employee can and should ask for feedback from their leader. The employee can also provide very useful feedback to the leader. Do you see what I mean about the two-way street?

Feedback doesn't have to come only during the once per year, one-on-one performance review. The often dreaded annual review is actually much easier for both parties if feedback is exchanged much more frequently throughout the year. 

Here's a few examples that can work in the service bays and maintenance shops;

If you're the leader, catch your tradespersons and teams doing things right in terms some work process that has been implemented or emphasized of late. And while you're at it, ask them for some feedback on how well that process is working for them at the shop floor level and for any suggestions on how you as a leader can help make the process work better. You might take a moment to review why their correct work makes a difference to the business. If you have to correct a problem with tradesperson performance, try asking a series of questions with genuine concern for the whole person. You may find out some factors at work in his or her life that will make it easier to move to a discussion on the specifics of the problem.   

If you're the tradesperson, you might take a moment when the maintenance leader is nearby to call him or her over and deliberately ask for some clarification on matters of process or quality in the shop and then give some examples of how you believe your work is in line with the current initiatives or policies. I know that some will worry that this seems like a kindergarten student constantly asking the teacher if his picture coloring is good enough. Well it's not like that at all unless you are doing it constantly. It is a great opportunity to show a leader that you're not automatically cynical about management processes and that you are trying to produce the best work you can in areas of your job. If you handle this exchange professionally and respectfully, you should even be able to send some feedback to your leader about his or her performance as well. If you've got some criticisms for your leader, try pointing out some of the good things he's been doing, then ask if he or she is open to a suggestion. This will likely put both of you in the right mindset for a respectful exchange.

Few people enjoy an all out confrontation in the workplace. Giving feedback and conducting assessments should turn out to be a positive experience if there is a culture of regular feedback and communications within the maintenance department.