Author: Mark S. Brown

Do You Want to Give Better Feedback?

Giving feedback to others is time well spent, but most of us fail to spend enough time to give effective feedback. Here is a list of things to consider when you want to improve your feedback skills.

  • Give feedback frequently.
  • Make the feedback timely.
  • Keep feedback simple.
  • When feedback addresses behavior that must be corrected, provide the feedback in a private, neutral setting.
  • Focus on the situation you observed, and how it affected you.
  • Describe behavior. Do not speculate on motive.
  • Communicate the impact of the person’s behavior.
  • Be prepared for unexpected information.
  • Reinforce positive behavior through feedback.
  • Catch people doing things right.

Giving feedback can feel awkward at times. But through practice, you can improve your skills. Be humble and authentic, and you can have a positive impact.

The 3 P’s of Success

Let me warn you, success requires more than just 3 P’s. On the other hand, success isn’t achieved without the 3 P’s. Here they are in no particular order:

  1. Persistence. Following through on intent is the first step toward improving success. Generate the drive to continue working toward your success every single day. Don’t ignore the roadblocks, but learn from them. Adjust your course and keep going.
  2. Persistence. Getting past the failures is not easy. This is where persistence really gets tested. When you feel you have run out of options, failure can seem overwhelming. But before you give up, think about other resources you may have to help you find a new path. This could come in the form of a mentor, a book, a historical figure, a role model, a friend, or a family member. Sometimes we can forget the image of success. Remind yourself about your goal, and discover the motivation to continue.
  3. Persistence. Success doesn’t happen overnight. Most times success requires consistent effort over a long period of time. Small wins accumulate and allow for success on a much larger scale. Passion is the fuel that will keep you going when the path gets long. Connect your daily progress with the passion that created your goal in the beginning.

When is the last time you encountered failure, and decided not to give up?

Find the Opportunity

“When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us.” – Alexander Graham Bell

It is so easy to get stuck on the negative impact of an event, that we fail to see the opportunity just beyond. I am learning more and more that this is just an attitude. The more positive your attitude, the easier it is to see opportunity.

In the past I thought that being able to think and reflect was the best method to see opportunity, but I have to change that thought. A positive attitude can be just as powerful as the other practices. It is easiest to see when you and a friend experience the same event, and their positive attitude views it completely differently.

The other aspect of a positive attitude is that it can kick in immediately following a disappointment. There is no delay for reflection and evaluation, just attitude that carries you to new opportunities.

Practicing a positive attitude can be difficult, but it can also become very natural. Give it a try!

Practice Your Leadership

Leadership is not a skill that is developed accidentally. Leadership is learned. We learn through our every day interactions. We learn from others when we choose to lead or when we choose to follow.

The opportunity that is typically lost in today’s fast paced business world is practicing our skills every day. Wouldn’t it be nice to take the time to think about the interactions we are going to have today, and plan to get better? Maybe a checklist would help us think about different aspects of the discussions we have scheduled.

Well, you can! Change the way you think about your leadership, and implement some daily practice. What will work for you to get better at leadership relationships?