This past week I received an email from a client that Shine Talent is building a marketing team for. It was a one-sentence email that expressed how pleased she was with the work we were doing. The feeling was pure joy, similar to my first boss 20 years ago telling me I was making a big impact for the company. I took a step back and had to laugh at myself. Is it really that simple? Just give me praise and I’ll perform?
In reflecting, it was not the praise, but the feedback. You see, Shine Talent is building a marketing team for a fast-growing company and we are hiring for multiple positions. It was only a week ago we sent the first company target list and we were off base with one of the positions. Gratefully, the CEO is incredibly direct and very clear in her feedback. We had to quickly reset and put a hustle on our work to meet the deadlines we set for ourselves. The constructive feedback a week ago was a gift. The positive reinforcement this week was a motivator.
All of this has me thinking about just how much feedback matters and truly what a gift feedback is, be it in the workplace, through the recruiting process or for a candidate. Spending our days on video is lackluster. We can’t see body language, the experience is more direct and the opportunity for collegial banter, which enables us to personally connect, is limited. So how has video impacted feedback loops? Are we as comfortable giving direct and constructive feedback without the in-person connection? Are we giving enough praise when the work deserves it? Are we overcompensating with positive feedback, concerned people are struggling in their home work environments, when direct and constructive feedback is really what's needed? Or, are we just going through the motions, pushing through the work and not taking the time for feedback at all?
I’ve seen on the recruiting side companies spending less time with candidates and hiring managers more absolute in their judgement. Feedback on candidates is less specific, more hurried and often times, more vague.
This last week made me slow down and think. The direct feedback gave our team the ability to accelerate our work and be more effective. The positive reinforcement made us feel good and feel motivated to overachieve. The time it took was minimal but little gift of feedback simply made all the difference for us at Shine Talent.
