Avionics News July 2015 - 64

series

BUSINESS BASICS
B Y

G R E G

L A S L O

Navigational aid

How to give feedback - both good and bad - to develop your team

n your avionics repair shop, you know that aircraft owners
and you motivate employees to do better; do it wrong, and
come to you to provide them goods and services that help
you can create lingering anxiety, frustration and damage to the
them know where they are, see where they're going, and
employee-supervisor relationship.
to connect the two points as safely as possible.
Yet you'll improve your feedback when you understand
This recognition drives your service, quality and profeswhat it's supposed to do, how constructive criticism can best
sionalism.
be presented, and why positive feedback is just as important. In
Consider, though, that the folks who work for you might
every case, if you want your people to find their way to greater
need some navigational aid, too - and for the same missionproductivity, you must give them a map.
based reasons. In this case, we're not
talking black boxes or liquid-crystalCHANGING DIRECTION
display screens; we're talking simple
Fundamentally, feedback gives
Provide employees with
feedback.
your workers a strategic-level insight
It's a straightforward concept:
into how their contribution to your
insight
into
what
they're
Provide employees with insight into
shop matters, including how it fits
what they're doing right, as well as
into the goals and objectives of your
doing right, as well as
what areas of performance they need
shop. Good feedback acknowledges
to improve. It's a crucial component
their successes, while "negative"
what
areas
of
performance
in their career development, and posiinput tells them where they've gone
tive or negative, it's a serious inspiraastray. Done regularly and predict
predictthey need to improve.
tion for people who take their jobs
ably, it also ensures an environment
seriously. But in practice, it can be a
of continuous improvement flour
flourchallenge; it's potentially uncomfortishes. Yet to do that, you must over
overable, awkward and embarrassing.
come its negative connotation, you must ensure you have the
Yet feedback is professional nourishment. According to a
skills to do it productively, and you must nurture an environ
environrecent Globoforce Workforce survey, employee satisfaction is
ment where it's welcome and useful.
closely tied to performance evaluations - both from their boss
The problem is, anyone who's been around the block more
and their peers. And that doesn't necessarily mean they all want
than once bristles at the notion. They're trained to think of
to be "employees of the month." Nearly six in 10 just want
this coaching as a wrist slapping. While that may be necessary
their boss to accurately assess their work.
sometimes, managers are wise to nip a problem before it buds,
This makes feedback a double-edged sword. Do it right,
with advice that guiltlessly guides employees to do better.
64

AVIONICS NEWS

JULY

2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News July 2015