Please provide opinions about how and when to provide feedback for a new direct.
I have a new direct that was transfered from a peer about a month ago. I have started with O3s and will be having my 4th tomorrow. In accordance with the recommendations from the new manager and rolling out the trinity podcasts, I have not started "formal" feedback but rather, in the meantime I have been collecting data to determine where I can best provide assistance.
This high S direct makes significantly more mistakes than the person she replaced even though the job is not new to her. Fortunately, a $10M mistake was averted just last week. I am compelled to provide feedback on such a significant error but I don't want feedback to be construed as negative.
Will providing this feedback "informally" (not following the model) and then picking up with "formal" positive feedback, per the recommendations, either next week or the following week be effective? I believe I have let a lot of things go in this period of time but I am trusting that the relationship is the priority in order to be the most effective manager on her behalf. What say you?
Feedback for New Direct
Just give direction. Just because you are not using the feedback model yet and drowning your directs in positive feedback using the MT method doesn't mean you cannot tell them what you expect and when you want it.
Have you read Kevin Blanchard's book on Situational Leadership? He claims 4 phases of learning:
1. Unconscious incompetence - you don't know what you are doing, and you don't know it. These people need direction.
2. Conscious incompetence - they don't know what they are doing, and they have become sadly aware of it. These people need less firm guidance and encouragement.
3. Conscious competence - they know, but they have to try. These people need your support.
4. Unconscious competence. They know, and don't have to try, and don't know what the big deal is. These people do not need you.
Feedback for New Direct
$10M is SIGNIFICANT mistake.
I would focus on what she can LEARN from this mistake.
Feedback for New Direct
[quote="US41"]Have you read Kevin Blanchard's book on Situational Leadership? He claims 4 phases of learning:
1. Unconscious incompetence - you don't know what you are doing, and you don't know it. These people need direction.
2. Conscious incompetence - they don't know what they are doing, and they have become sadly aware of it. These people need less firm guidance and encouragement.
3. Conscious competence - they know, but they have to try. These people need your support.
4. Unconscious competence. They know, and don't have to try, and don't know what the big deal is. These people do not need you.[/quote]
This reminds me of an old saying -- "The only thing worst than not knowing is not knowing that you don't know."
Feedback for New Direct
And, one of my favorite scholarly papers:
[quote]
Unskilled and Unaware of It: How Difficulties in Recognizing One's Own Incompetence Lead to Inflated Self-Assessments. Justin Kruger and David Dunning. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1999; 77(6):1121-1134
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10626367[/quote]
If you are curious, you can download a copy here:
www.apa.org/journals/features/psp7761121.pdf