1. PD Conference
Language of Leadership: The How and When of Constructive Feedback and Conflict Resolution

2. Learning Objectives Defining Feedback
Plan and deliver effective Feedback
Receive and consider Feedback
Recognize difficult situations and plan to improve Feedback skills
Today the key objectives are to list off points.
Feedback from others, when properly given can make all the difference between success and failure on the job.
Provides information on what is working and what isn't

3. Self Assessment Department of Human Resources
Take 10 minutes to go over this self assessment
*Handbook
Department of Human Resources

4. Reviewing Self Assessment
If most answered often your are skilled and giving and receiving feedback
If answered rarely or sometimes for most you are one of several who could further development in this area.
*Handbook

5. What is Feedback?
Giving and receiving objective information, relevant to the task being performed
Information shared with the positive intent to help someone improve
In-the-moment observation to clarify what “good performance” looks like
When do you provide feedback?
*Ask audience – when do you provide feedback? Why is feedback important?
Offers employees what they need to develop, grow and improve
Reinforces and redirects work performance
Empowers employees to be accountable for his/her own performance and development
Identifies opportunities when support is needed before it is too late positioning an employee to achieve greater results over time
Increases employee motivation and commitment to the organization

6. Why is Feedback Important?
Offers employees what they need to develop, grow and improve
Reinforces and redirects work performance
Empowers employees to be accountable for his/her own performance and development
Identifies opportunities when support is needed before it is too late positioning an employee to achieve greater results over time
Department of Human Resources

7. Roles What is the role of a coach? What is the role of a coachee?
Demonstrates the he/she is a person to trust and confide in
Ensures the person understands performance expectations
Guides and facilitates a person towards finding a solution
Coachee:
Actively listens and engages throughout the conversation
Comes to the conversation with options and potential solutions
Takes ownership for his or her progress

8. Case Study
Case A
A manager hands in a report to her director and waits for a month without receiving a reaction. The manager wonders, “What did I do wrong?”
Case B
A supervisor becomes upset at an employee who consistently makes typing errors. “Don’t you know anything about the English language?” he yells. “It’s amazing you ever finished high school!” The manager slams a recently typed document on the employee’s desk and stalks off; the specific typing errors are never discussed.
Let’s look at a couple of different types of feedback:
Case C
An employee received praise from a supervisor during an annual evaluation. “You’re doing a great job,” she’s told. “Keep up the good work.” As the employee leaves the supervisor’s office, she wonders, “What exactly am I doing well? I want to keep doing it, but I’m not sure what ‘it’ is.”

9. Questions to ask: What might the coach be thinking?
What might the coach be feeling?
What might the employee be thinking?
What might the employee be feeling?
If things don’t change, what would it take to have a positive outcome?
Case A: The director has responded to the manager with silence.
One of the most common forms in business
How many times have you heard a manager say, “You won’t hear from me unless there is a problem?”
Issue: Silence can be misinterpreted In this case, the manager has interpreted silence as criticism, but is that what the director really means? The director may have just been to busy to respond. yet her silence has sent a message that is unintentionally negative.
Case B:The supervisor chose to give feedback in the form of criticism, attacking the employee’s personal qualities rather than focusing on the typing errors.
Supervisor may have vented and yelled, but employee still doesn’t know what is wrong.
Supervisors criticism has created distrust and hostility, which will make it even more difficult to discuss the actual problem.
The opportunity of Redirection and Reinforcement can be used here which we will talk about further shortly:
Supervisor probably didn’t mean to insult the employee. The criticism was meant to redirect the employee’s job performance to eliminate the typing error. The redirection simply came out badly.
Case C:
The supervisor offered praise, much more pleasant than the first two cases.
Employee happy boss liked work but unless they ask for specifics they wont know what they should continue and the praise is of little long term value.
Redirection and Reinforcement:
What was the intention of the supervisor in the last case? The supervisor wanted to reinforce the employee’s positive actions so that she will repeat and develop those same actions.

10. Review
Did these examples remind you of a similar situation you may have encountered? Describe the situation.
Do you think the situation you experienced was handled well? How might it have been handled better?

11. Discussion
What are some reasons leaders might be uncomfortable or hesitant about giving feedback?

12. Redirection and Reinforcement
Think for a moment about the last two cases.
Did the manager really want to insult the employee?
What was the intention of the supervisor in the last case?
Think of a situation in which you received redirection that was not focused on acts (as in the employee with the typing errors in the second case study.) Describe the criticism you received. How did the other person approach you? What did he or she say?

13. Redirection and Reinforcement
When feedback takes the form of Redirection and Reinforcement, it has a number of useful characteristics:
Focuses on acts, not attitudes
Directed to the future
Is goal oriented
Is multidirectional
Supports proper action
Is continual
These two (redirection and reinforcement) work together to provide all members of the organization with the information they need to improve their job performance and work up to their full potential.
Redirection: identifies job-related behaviours and performance that do not contribute to individual, group, and organizational goals and help the employee develop alternative strategies.
Reinforcement: identifies job-related behaviours and performance that contribute to the individual, group, and organization goals and encourages the employee to repeat and develop those actions.
*Handouts

14. Communication Styles
Communication styles play an important part in the giving and receiving of feedback.
Developed patterns that reflect individual identities over time. Become preferred manner of communication.
Four major communication styles:
Driver – Direct and task oriented
Animated – Enthusiastic and relationship oriented
Amiable – Supportive and avoids change
Analytical - Accurate and detail oriented
Effectiveness of communication will be enhanced if you know what kind of style you like and are aware of the recipients style
Though our individual styles are usually a composite of all four styles, we tend to have one stronger, preferred style.
Give 5 minutes from them to go through the two pages to determine which style they believe they are.
*Handouts.

15. Understanding Styles
Be conscious of your own style preference when giving and receiving feedback. Your primary focus needs to be on what you believe the other persons preferences are.
Use the handout for the participants to go through the learning

16. Effective Coaching Set the Stage Assess the Situation
Explore Possible Options
Establish a Plan
Discuss Next Steps
When is it appropriate to formalize discipline? When should it be escalated?
*No particular sequence of events, an effective coaching conversation moves between the elements as needed.
*examples:
employee was late for a shift this is the second time.
Didn’t perform and hasn’t listened to what to do
Left for home 20 minutes early and got a friend to clock out
Set the Stage:
Agree on purpose, process, and desired outcomes of the discussion
Assess the Situation:
Get the perspective from the person on what is happening/has happened. Provide feedback on what is happening/has happened.
Explore Possible Options:
Generate/discuss options and the possible impact
Establish a Plan:
Clarify actions to be taken by the person and coach. Gain commitment to take action and own it.
Discuss Next Steps:
Agree on intervals for follow-up activities

17. Case Study
Objective: To come to a resolution with a long-term action plan. Using the redirection diagram in your workbook.
Give them time to read through the case then ask the last question.
Was the supervisor adaptive and prepared for the difference in communication style?
Give 10 minutes to go over the case and then discuss each of the finding and action plan.

18. How to Respond to Employee’s Reaction to Feedback
Common Reactions:
Hostility/Resistance/Denial
Indifference
Lack of Confidence/Self Pity
Responsibility Skirting
Shock/Anger
Example of my reaction to feedback, an example of my personal feedback was
*Going through this exercise trying to find when my husband has given me feedback. So I asked him one day after work,
2-Way Process: as there is giving and receiving of information, both individuals need to be providing information. If one person is not providing information, you can probe for it. As the employee is a recipient of feedback, ensure that they are asking questions to clarify what they are thinking and hearing.
Get defensive and try to explain their actions
Find someone with whom to share all of part of the blame for the problem
Shut down and not listen, focusing instead on what they can do to regain favour in the manager’s eyes
Listen carefully to what the manager is saying so they can understand and probe for more information
Hostility/Resistance/Denial - Employees attack your credibility and the facts in the review. Employees do not acknowledge the issue, deny that the incidents took place, or downplay the impact of their actions
Indifference - Employees react to the feedback in an apathetic manner and do not fully commit to doing things differently.
Lack of Confidence/Self Pity - Employees are uncertain in their abilities to succeed or are risk-averse
Responsibility Skirting - Employees may acknowledge the negative feedback but may play the ‘blame game,’ indirectly implying that they will not change.
Shock/Anger - Employees become angry and say things impulsively or react in an emotional way.
*Handbook

19. How to Respond to Employee’s Reaction to Feedback
Tips to Minimize Negative Reactions:
Phrase feedback accurately
Allow the employee to speak openly and do not interrupt
Observe signs of emotional reactions
Remain calm and composed, and handle the situation with care
2-Way Process: as there is giving and receiving of information, both individuals need to be providing information. If one person is not providing information, you can probe for it. As the employee is a recipient of feedback, ensure that they are asking questions to clarify what they are thinking and hearing.
Get defensive and try to explain their actions
Find someone with whom to share all of part of the blame for the problem
Shut down and not listen, focusing instead on what they can do to regain favour in the manager’s eyes
Listen carefully to what the manager is saying so they can understand and probe for more information
Hostility/Resistance/Denial - Employees attack your credibility and the facts in the review. Employees do not acknowledge the issue, deny that the incidents took place, or downplay the impact of their actions
Indifference - Employees react to the feedback in an apathetic manner and do not fully commit to doing things differently.
Lack of Confidence/Self Pity - Employees are uncertain in their abilities to succeed or are risk-averse
Responsibility Skirting - Employees may acknowledge the negative feedback but may play the ‘blame game,’ indirectly implying that they will not change.
Shock/Anger - Employees become angry and say things impulsively or react in an emotional way.