Business Innovation + Biblical Insight
July 12th, 2006
The Trouble with Feedback
Improving Performance Reviews
The employee wore an expression I have seen many, many times – as the performance review ended his face relaxed noticeably. I wouldn’t say he seemed at ease exactly; just reverting to a less heightened, more normal state of anxiety. The supervisor bore an equally familiar look of grim satisfaction that she’d done what she had to do.
It was a meeting neither of them wanted – not because it was a big deal but because it was so awkward and ineffectual. The supervisor brought no clear feedback and the employee left with no actionable plan. It was, they would both acknowledge later, a waste of time.
The thought that our bosses want to give us "feedback" doesn't inspire positive emotions for most of us. In general, no feedback is good feedback, right? But constructive feedback is essential for improving performance. Without it we seldom recognize let alone break out of bad habits or sub-par routines. The problem is, most performance reviews are pro forma exercises, useless for anything but documenting the kind of offences that lead to termination for cause.
Of course, it's not supposed to be that way; and it doesn't have to be.
The responsibility for making performance reviews work falls squarely on the shoulders of the supervisor. The business leader must learn to move beyond symptoms to address the root causes of poor performance (or, for that matter, affirm the assets that produce exceptional performance). Many performance issues look remarkably similar on the surface, though they originate from very different causes. Failing to realize the source of behavior results in feedback that is unhelpful because it is misdirected and confusing and may be even damaging and destructive.
Here's help from what may seem like an unexpected source. The apostle Paul gave perceptive advice to the leaders of the small Christian community in the Greek port town called Thessalonica. Addressing a number of work and life issues, he offered this advice on giving appropriate feedback:
And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. (I Thessalonians 5:14, New International Version)
Paul understood that nonperformance emerges from three very different causes. For each cause, there is an fitting approach.
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Charlie
The Legacy of a Leader, part 3
In the previous two weeks, Dan Wooldridge shared his observations on the influential life of his mentor, Charlie, and the legacy of his life cut short by death. The first observation was that Charlie's life was lived with an intentionally and alertly to fulfill his purpose to make a permanent difference in the lives he encountered. The second attribute was Charlie’s profound sense of identity as a servant. This identity lifted Charlie’s perspective on the value of people and the privilege of serving. In this final installment, Dan shares the final remarkable attribute and the insight that ties it all together.
The third attribute that characterized Charlie was his peculiar vision. In my work with leaders, I've seen individuals with a breathtaking ability to see far into the future, to peer deeply into an issue, to grasp the broad dimensions of a challenge. But Charlie's vision was transcendent. It drove how he lived out his purpose and identity every day.
Charlie possessed what I have come to call "third generation vision." Third generation vision is easily described in child-rearing terms. My wife and I are attempting to raise three wonderful children, Abigail, Andrew, and Annie. If we had "first generation vision" as parents, we would be satisfied if our children did as they were told, minded their manners, spoke when spoken to, didn’t do anything to embarrass us and covered up any obvious hygiene problems. First generation vision is parenting for my personal convenience and near term objectives. I've seen quite a few leaders like this; they enjoy the utility of having people around them to further their personal goals. As long as folks do as they are told and don't create problems, everything is fine. Until, one day, everything isn't fine.
Parents with "second generation vision" see their responsibilities differently. They want to raise their children in such a way that the kids become good citizens, good spouses, good parents, good neighbors, good leaders and contributors to society. Any time you see such a parent, I say commend them. The same goes for leaders of every sort.
Then, there are parents (and leaders like Charlie) who possess a much greater perspective: "third generation vision." As I think about my own three children, I'm learning to stop and ask, How do I raise them in such a way that my grandchildren will be great citizens, husbands, wives, parents, neighbors, leaders and contributors? Now, faced with a parental leadership issue, I back up and consider how I can leverage the situation to build the wisdom, character, and ability of my kids so that their kids will make a difference.
Businesses and organizations of all types are at a crossroads. Anyone can see that. Talent and leadership for the future are in short supply. A large part of this crisis springs from the fact that we have not developed our own children and the people in our own organizations to live and lead in a future without us. Charlie’s visionary life makes me ask over and over: Are you leading from first-, second- or third-generation vision?
Purpose. Identity. Vision. By the time I got home from Texas my image of Charlie seemed complete . . . until a few months later, when I received the bow that wrapped up the whole package.
Charlie's wife Kay called me one day. She was traveling in Colorado and wondered if we could meet for coffee. I walked into the coffee shop a bit late, and spotting Kay, angled toward her. She rose when saw me and embraced me warmly. Then, pushing back, with tears in her eyes she said, "Dan, Charlie loved you so much."
That's when I got it: The heart that drives a great leader is a heart of love for the people he or she serves. This is the difference between attaining "results" and creating a living, lasting legacy of changed people who continue to make a difference long after the leader is gone.
W. Somerset Maugham, in his novel Of Human Bondage, described an aging couple saying, "They had done nothing, and when they went it would be just as if they had never been." I'm afraid this will be the epitaph of most leaders.
So I keep having to ask: What kind of leader are you? Are your days characterized by the intentional purpose to make a difference in people's lives? Do you joyfully embrace the privilege of serving infinite and eternally valuable immortals? Do you have a vision that sees future generations touched by your everyday encounters? And above all, do you truly love those you serve?
I hope my epitaph and yours will be written not in stone but in the testimony of people standing in the aisles to express how grateful they are for the difference we made in their lives.
From the Archives
An Unadorned Report From the Owner
"The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried."
-G.K. Chesterton, Chapter 5,
What's Wrong With The World, 1910
In my circle of friends, people are still chipping away at the problem. A friend in the restaurant business sent me what he wrote his wife and adult children about his attempts to fully integrate his life. Here's an excerpt where his letter touches on spirituality and work.
Christians are just as much in a hurry as everyone else-more so really because we try to do everything everyone else does plus have a quiet time, go to church, run a ministry.
"Got to be there in 10 minutes-and it's a 20-minute drive. Haven't even had time to say hello to God this morning-so I grab a tape and use the 20-minute drive to listen to a sermon. It's good stuff. I arrive and get out of the car feeling better..." This is the daily pattern for many of us.
Good sermons replace personal Bible study. Digging for ourselves (in the yard or the Scripture) is just too hard and time consuming in our hectic day, so we hire it out. The gardener digs the hole to plant the flowers, and though I get to enjoy their beauty, my muscles don’t develop, and I learn nothing about the soil. And I skip spiritual digging too, allowing the hired pastor's sermon to show me the beauty of God, yet I never develop my own mind, faith or understanding by wrestling through the verses on my own. My life remains unchanged-and I don't even realize it. I think I'm spiritually well fed, but in reality I'm starving to death!
The resultant me is someone who thinks he's operating on a biblical foundation but is in fact operating on a worldly one.
I start my morning in the Bible with a quiet time. God affirms my beliefs. I remember the values I hold dear-humility, servanthood, trust in Christ. Then I head off to work to try and behave "Christianly."
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