Goals and Feedback: The Pairing of Success
If you do not set goals you will
always achieve them. Meaning, if I hope
for nothing I can expect nothing. Goals
bring commitment and clarity to my character.
My goals tell the world something about me. For instance, there is a great difference
between the person whose goal is to make their first million before the age of
thirty and the person whose goal is to build wells for those living without
water in a poverty-stricken country.
Goals are visions of what could be
and feedback is the reality that tests our resolve. Kouzes & Posner (2007) said, “Feedback and
goals keep people engaged” (p. 288).
Expanding on their comment, they said, “People need to know if they’re
making progress toward the goal or simply marking time. Having goals helps to serve that function, but
that is not enough. People’s motivation
to increase productivity on a task increases only when they have a challenging
goal and receive feedback on their progress; goals without feedback, or
feedback without goals, have little effect on motivation” (p. 288).
Twenty years in the Air Force
taught me a great deal about goals, feedback, teamwork, and personal growth. After I retired, my understanding continued
to grow through a decade-plus of men’s ministry and marriage counseling. Too often, many people wander aimlessly
through life being carried by the wind of other’s dreams and visions. Handicapped by fear and insecurity, the mass
of society esteems the courageous who dare to be different—those men and women with
the faith to dream and the tenacity to persevere.
John Maxwell said, “The growth and
development of people is the highest calling of leadership.” The beauty of
leadership lies in its ability to change both leader and follower. Through interaction and unity, through
genuine relationships and experience, and especially by helping each other
improve, we learn to create, build, launch, and heal. The most important aspect of a goal is that
there is one. One of the critical
natures of feedback is in the heart of the one who administers it. Leaders give feedback from a passion to
improve others. In the same manner,
leaders should receive feedback from the same position: to improve.
What are your thoughts regarding Brown's contention that there are generational differences in the amount
of feedback desired by employees?
Every Wednesday I have lunch with
my twenty-year old son. Today I asked
him, “What are you willing to fight for? What are you passionate about?” I challenged him to examine his heart. I’ve often asked him about his goals. I think parents too often overlay their goals
onto their children like a transparency sheet on an overhead projector. Rather than tell my son his goals, I want him to find them; to mine them. I want my feedback to encourage. This is a parental challenge in its own
right. For instance, I slightly
bemoaned, “You want to work on cars?” At
nearly fifty-years of age, I’ve changed my oil less than five times. “Mechanic?
Really?”
I think you get the picture.
Brown (2011) said “There’s a
difference between the generations in how to provide feedback. Gen Y (those
born after 1980) wanted a lot of feedback—from their immediate bosses and
anyone else” (p. 323). Moreover, he
shares that “a survey of Ernst & Young employees found that 65 percent of
younger workers said that providing detailed guidance in their daily work was
moderately or extremely important. This compared to 39 percent for older
workers” (p.323).
My feedback toward my son is meant
to guide, direct, and maybe even help him avoid some pitfalls and minefields
along the way. We spend time together and through
conversation I’ll add my thoughts in hopes that he’ll grab ahold of a few of
them. Brown also said, “The combination
of goal setting with feedback on individual performance has a positive effect
on performance.” That combination helps
my son find his way through the challenges of school, girlfriend, his truck, a
part-time job, and an uncertain future.
How much feedback do you generally give and receive?
The terms feedback and advice have
been associated with such derogatory context that simply mentioning them can
cause people to cringe. There is a
difference between official feedback and unofficial feedback. For instance, in the Air Force, they have an
“official” system referred to as Enlisted Evaluation System (EES). Among many things, the EES provides meaningful
feedback to individuals on what is expected of them, advice on how well they
are meeting expectations, and advice on how to better meet the
expectations. The Air Force defines
performance feedback as, “private, formal communication a rater uses to tell a
rate what is expected regarding duty performance and how well the rate is
meeting expectations (DAF, 2003).
While there is a place for official
feedback—especially in helping employees achieve their personal and
professional goals—the most important and effective type of feedback is the
unofficial feedback that occurs when people “do life together.”
By establishing trusting
relationships, I’ve learned that the best way to give feedback is from a place
of compassion and care. It’s the old
adage, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you
care.” As I’ve learned to develop trust
with someone, it gives me authority and access into their lives. It’s there that I can address inappropriate
and selfish behaviors. Feedback ranges
from telling an airmen that they will need to iron their uniform to telling a friend
he is disrespecting his wife.
Leading men’s ministry provides me
ample opportunity to offer advice about the choices men are making. Likewise, I’ve told them it is not wise for
them to listen to me if I am not listening to someone. In other words, “don’t submit your life to a
mentor or coach who hasn’t submitted their life to another.” With that said, I have a handful of people in
my life that ask me hard questions and provide feedback on my answers. I can honestly say the feedback given and
received is offered in the spirit of love and compassion. One of the greatest forms of goal setting and
feedback occurs in the context of mentoring relationships. Mentoring is a
relationship in which a more experienced manager helps a less experienced
protégé (Yukl, 2010).
I’m a firm believer in goals and
self-development. Hughes, Ginnett, &
Curphy (2002) said, “It is difficult to ask employees to make wise decisions if
they do not know where the company is headed. Employees should know what the company and
work unit are trying to accomplish and how these accomplishments will be
measured, and they should be given regular feedback on progress” (p. 539). Without
goals, feedback is useless. Without
feedback, goals can be elusive.
Have you found that for you personally, having specific goals and
receiving targeted feedback has led to more engagement, higher performance, or
any other benefits (or drawbacks)?
Brown (2011) said, “To achieve specific goals, employees may require
training or additional resources, such as new equipment or information.
Managers may need to work with employees in developing action plans. Finally,
managers should provide timely and objective feedback when the goal is
completed” (p. 324). Personally, I’ve discovered
the more specific a goal, the greater the accountability. Merely stating, “I want to be a better
husband” can be as arbitrary as taking out the trash without being asked. Rather, stating, “I want to be a better
husband by romancing my wife and taking her on a date twice a month” is
altogether different. Lack of
specificity leaves room for compromise and rationalization. Specificity also encourages feedback.
In view of feedback, Dr. Gary
Collins (2002) said, “This [feedback] is one form of encouragement, but it
involves more. Feedback is most
effective when it deals with specific
issues, includes affirmation, and points to ways in which there might be
further action or improvement” (p. 111).
As I began to step into the pastorate
and give my time to people in need, I required mentorship and feedback from
those who have been doing it longer than I had.
They taught me to guard my time and protect my boundaries. As a result, I’ve learned to keep other
people’s issue in proper perspective and to ensure they remained “their issues”
and not mine.
John Maxwell (1995) said, “Feedback
is a crucial part of the process of developing people. I always give them some kind of evaluation. I’m honest, and I do my homework to make sure
I’m accurate. I give constructive
criticism. This lets them know how they’re doing, corrects problems, encourages
improvements, and speeds the work” (p. 103). Having a pastoral mentor walk with me as I
grew in church leadership helped me understand the ins-and-outs of church
business and relationship management.
What are the implications of your reflection?
John Maxwell (1995) said, “People
need clear objectives set before them if they are to achieve anything of value.
Success never comes instantaneously. It comes from taking many small steps. A
set of goals becomes a map a potential leader can follow in order to grow.”
My growth as a leader has
materialized from achieving both short-term goals and long term goals. Feedback has guided my behavior in accomplishing
both. I’ve learned that if you cannot
successfully attain short term goals, then you will be unable to reach long
term goals. Start small. Jesus said, “He who can be trusted with
little can be trusted with much” (NIV, Luke 16:10). Feedback from 2000 years ago still rings true
today.
This assignment reminded me of the
importance of specific goals and honest, regular feedback.
Steve
References:
Brown, D.R. (2011). Organizational
development. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education,
Inc.
Collins, G. R. (2002). Christian coaching. Colorado Springs,
CO: People Helper’s International,
Inc.
Department of the Air Force.
(2003). Promotion Fitness Examination. Air Force Pamphlet 36-
2241,
Volume 1.
Hughes, R.L., Ginnett, R.C., &
Curphy, G.J. (2002). Leadership:
enhancing the lessons of
experience. New York, NY: The
McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Kouzes, J.M., & Posner, B.Z.
(2007). The leadership challenge. San
Francisco, CA: John Wiley
& Sons, Inc.
Maxwell, J.C. (1995). Developing the leaders around you.
Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Maxwell, J.C. (2001). The 17 indisputable laws of teamwork.
Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson,
Inc.
Yukl, G. (2010). Leadership in organizations. Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
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