Getting Useful Feedback in Real Time

Recently, I visited a fast-growing company where executive leaders shared their strategies for working effectively with one of their most important stakeholder groups: their employees.

The level of importance they place on their team members goes well beyond perfunctory phrases or posters placed around the facility. Their commitment to the professional development and the personal well-being of their employees sets a standard worthy of emulating by even the most successful enterprises.

Among the many creative strategies they employ, three stood out. First, all senior executives are assigned several employees to mentor, coach and develop. These may not be their direct reports; rather, they are likely from different parts of the organization. And mentorship doesn’t take on a casual meaning here.  There is a structured process in place to ensure that the coaching these team members receive is meaningful and effective. Imagine being early in your career and having a senior executive, not your manager or supervisor, providing coaching and mentoring which is focused on your short and long-term career objectives.

Second, all senior executives are expected to create a personal mission statement. In my experience, few exercises are more compelling and more widely ignored. These statements are then shared with and among the leadership group. The impact is compelling and goes a long way in helping to create a unified senior team.

The third addresses the issue of employee feedback. From time to time, the organization will send out brief surveys (no more than five questions). While many companies survey their employees, here’s what makes this approach unique and valuable. The surveys are confidential, but they are never anonymous. Employees are required to put their name on the quick response survey. And they do!

I often hear from business leaders who lament poor participation in employee surveys (that is a sure indication of low morale). They insist that team members be offered the opportunity to answer without putting their name on it. After all, if they are required to own their responses, they won’t be honest. Guess what. That’s the problem!

Building a culture of accountability at all levels requires that feedback to be honest and direct. If retribution for candor is a concern, there is a systemic organizational problem the answer to which goes well beyond a survey.

For more information on building a corporate culture of accountability, contact me at joe@ajstrategy.com.