Setting goals and giving/receiving feedback are tied to potential performance changes whether they be positive or negative. It’s important that organizations be aware of two fronts, that supervisors know how to give proper feedback and that subordinates know how to receive proper feedback. Discussed will be how much feedback is given or received within my current position, my thoughts on setting goals, and finally what I gain after this week's review on the topic.
It’s been shown on multiple fronts that millennials are requesting, if not requiring, consistent and constant feedback. It’s been said that “eighty five percent of younger workers wanted frequent and candid performance feedback compared to only 50 percent for older workers” (Brown, 2011, p. 322). Being a millennial myself, I appreciate receiving constant feedback for my works as this lets me know if I’m heading in the right direction or not. That being said, the feedback that I receive only happens once every six months. I also belong to a very small team without subordinates, so the feedback I give is only given when requested by a peer.
Goal setting I see as something that engages me with whatever task that I’m working on. If I set myself up with a goal, I’m much more likely to stick to it and complete it. For example, one personal goal I have is to graduate the MSLD program with a 4.0 GPA, so that I have a better chance at getting accepted into the University of Cambridge. This goal is a part of what helps keep me engaged with the program. My efforts at work also benefit when I set myself up with a goal. The working tempo is very slow with very stable hours, with little pressure from leadership. So slacking off and getting complacent is a very real possibility for my position. By setting a goal to get a project done within a certain time period, I immediately notice that mentally I’m absorbed with my work and job satisfaction increases.
One thing that I haven’t talked about yet is what’s known as the 360-degree feedback, which is something I am likely to implement should I ever get subordinates of my own. My leadership style is one where I focus on developing my subordinates to the best of my ability and to supply them with the tools necessary to succeed. By collecting data/information and giving them a full 360-feedback, I believe they are more likely to accept the information and to use it to better themselves. That said, it’s also important that I don’t use what others say to positively or negatively effect formal performance appraisals, as doing so can lead to inaccurate feedback by others (Yukl, 2013, p. 386). This has also been confirmed as something that can lead to a lawsuit if the two are mingled together (Anonymous, 1998). Overall, however, it creates an open discussion where “people are more likely to modify their self-perceptions in the face of multisource feedback” (Lepsinger & Lucia, 1997).
Discussed included my views on the idea of feedback, how goals keep me engaged with an idea, and finally a quick talk on what I gathered from this week’s research and how I might apply it into my own leadership style. Overall trends seem to say that setting goals and giving consistent and constant feedback leads to overall performance increases. It’s important, however, that these be done properly as not doing so can actually lead to a loss in performance.
References
Anonymous. (1998). Mult-rater feedback and performance evaluation programs do not mix. SuperVision , 25.
Brown, D. R. (2011). An experiential approach to organization development (Eighth Edition ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Lepsinger, R., & Lucia, A. D. (1997). Main content area 360 degree feedback and performance appraisal. Training , 62-70.
Yukl, G. (2013). Leadership in Organizations (Eighth Edition ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, United States of America: Prentice Hall.
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