Wie können Sie häufige Feedback-Fehler bei Remote-Teams vermeiden?

Clear is kind. Being kind is not equitable to being nice. It means you say what needs to be told and not what you want to be told. Being vague and general will only cause more work for you as a manager in the long run, otherwise, the message often falls flat.

Feedback is just conversation. We make it harder on ourselves and employees on our team when we put feedback into a special category. It’s just conversation – and if we are managing a team, with luck we are conversing with our teammates every day. It’s much better to have a team member ask about a situation than for us to bring it up and say, here’s how you could’ve done that differently. How do we get folks to ask for our advice? We build trust with them. We talk about times when we struggled and how we got out of it. We ask for their advice. If we train our employees well and develop close relationships with them, there will not be many situations where we need to say, here’s how you should’ve done it instead.

For a leader and his/her teams, feedback is “The breakfast of champions”. It recognizes effort, it drives improvement, it motivates and it connects us. I would suggest that it’s equally important for in office, remote or inter-stellar-located teams. The article has great insight but to tag it specifically for remote teams is something I would challenge - one could take “remote teams” out and replace with “in office” and the themes would be just as powerful. The best part is the recognition and direction around feedback. For that, the piece adds value in my book. Good luck out there everyone!

In the traditional formal, hierarchical system of work, we are very focused on events. We are very focused on transactions. That’s why we see feedback as an event. “I gave Susan feedback on XYZ issue.” It was hard to tell Susan. She did something wrong. We are proud of ourselves. We are focusing on the wrong thing! What did we miss in our previous training and communication with Susan such that she made a mistake? That’s what we should be thinking about. As managers, we have a tremendous amount of control at work. We set the tone. We train our employees or make sure they get the training they need. We can prevent most mistakes. That’s a way better answer than talking to someone about something they did incorrectly.

In my experience, the right channel is more than one channel. There is often value in feedback being delivered and reinforced, and this is most effectively done by using more than one channel to communicate the feedback. Let's take an example of a manager needing to deliver feedback on client communication to a member of their team. The first delivery of feedback may be 1:1 immediately following the client call. The context for the feedback is fresh. But, it shouldn't stop there. Following the dialogue of the 1:1 via phone or video meeting the feedback should be written up and added to a shared 1:1 board. This way the key takeaways/next steps are clearly outlined and documented for easy reference by the employee receiving the feedback.

It is important to consider the nature of the feed back or communication when deciding which communication medium to use. Issues involving the work team as a group would be best scheduled as a zoom -video conference meeting. But issues that relate to the individual remote employee are best covered in one on one communication, such as confidential or personnel matters or the urgent issues example above. Complex issues may require detailed written communication which would be best transmitted via e-mail or e-mail with document attachment. Text or messaging systems may be suitable for communication relating routine on non-confidential matters.

No one wants to spend their days working on useless status reports to a team leader who is a micro-manager that never reads when the time could be better spent on accomplishing to the actual project mission. A better approach would be for the team leader and remote worker to agree on an anticipated check in frequency for status updates or discussion project questions. The team leader and employee can likewise agree on an appropriate format for communications such as a five minute phone call or zoom meeting or email with data report attached. The nature of the job or project will dictate the appropriate format and frequency of interim status communication.

We have a saying at my company: Feedback is not a 4-letter word. In fact, it's one of our a 10-Operating Principles. Giving feedback is so important at any time, but I've found that it's best to give feedback as soon as possible, and/or right after something occurs. It's fresh in everyone's mind, and the tension doesn't fester. Giving feedback promptly, and asking for feedback promptly is a huge part of making remote work, work! Feedback, when given with kindness and empathy, is the biggest way someone will grown, stretch and level-up in life and in their career.

Team leaders can gain rapport by being accessible and responsive to the needs of team members. Remember names and role of each team member is an important first step. Periodic check ins by the leader let the remote employee that they are not lost in an out of sight-out of mind remote purgatory. The team leader who calls to see how things are going and offering assistance to run interference for resolving any problems will be received better than an individual who is continually harping about when the report or other required action will be complete. He team leader, for example may have a broader awareness of resources in the company that can be called upon to resolve any difficulties.

The most important thing company leadership can do (vis-a-vis feedback) is cultivating a culture where feedback is accepted, invited and encouraged. It has to start from the top. Here are a few things we implement at @Proofpoint Marketing: - Our CEO holds weekly office hours. Anyone on the team can pop in & chat w/ Mike about what's going on in there day, any challenges that have come up, or ask questions about things we're working on at the leadership level. - During all-hand meetings, we leave plenty of time & space for our team to ask questions, get clarification & even poke holes into things we're doing, for the sake of alignment & buy-in.