Feedback, Anchors and Leadership Hacks: January At C-Level

January At C-Level

Happy New Year!

I don't know about you, but I feel like I've been shot out of a cannon in 2017!

I know we're all playing catch-up after the holidays, but be careful not to confuse busyness with business. That's important, because most of you in leadership positions aren't graded on what you do, but on how well the people who work for you perform or produce.

With that in mind, how do you know if your leadership contributed to your team's 2016 accomplishments? Simple... ask.

I know, let's make 2017 the Year of Effective Feedback. Corny, yes, but I didn't think you'd get on board with the Year of the Kevins.

Anyway, way too many managers and leaders can dish it out, but they can't take it. Feedback, that is. We like to think we're receptive to feedback from peers and subordinates (we have to take it from our boss), but chances are good that we're not.

Have you asked anyone how you performed as a leader in 2016... like those you lead? If not, now's the perfect time. And I don't mean just "hey, Jane, how am I doing as a leader?" Strangely enough, that might not actually elicit a meaningful response.

Nor do I mean some über-elaborate 360-degree feedback effort that has everyone wishing they were never born. I'm talking about just using something simple, like Start, Stop, Continue.

Sit down, one on one, with those you lead directly. Tell them you want - need - their feedback to improve, and to make their jobs better (and likely easier). Then ask...

What should I Start doing that I'm not doing now?
What should I Stop doing that doesn't seem to help you or others?
What should I Continue doing that you feel is positive?

Consider giving them this worksheet in advance so they can put some real thought into it.

Ask the questions, then shut up while they answer. No defensive drilling down, no "but what about...?" comments, nothing but "thank you for that input."

It can be harder than you think. But the best leaders make asking for feedback a regular part of their conversations.

Survey Says...

In case you missed it last month, the results are in for our 2016 Survey of Senior Leadership. A summary of those results is available for download at the link below.

Here's the Cliff Notes to the summary (for those with varsity-level ADD): You and your organization are challenged with both revenue/earnings and profitability. That's #1 with a bullet. After that, it gets pretty people centric real quick, with emphasis on effective communications, manager performance and employee engagement/productivity. Nearly half of you will be increasing overall headcount in 2017. If you have questions, comments or inputs, reach out to us and let's discuss. We'll provide more detail throughout 2017. Interesting reading, and you can download it here.

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