The Metiss Group's Blog

The left and right hemispheres of our brain provide different functions.  Our left brain focuses on tactical or analytical activities while our right brain is used for strategic or creative activities.  We function best when we focus our attention on one of the brain specialities at a time.  In fact, many leaders structure their meetings so as to deal with tactical and strategic thinking in different sessions; however there are times when employing both aspects are critical to the success of a given effort.

Challenge yourself and empower your direct reports to include both tactical and strategic components in their job definitions for short term and long term success.

In his book “The Shallows: What The Internet Is Doing To Our Brains”, Nicholas Carr argues that our reliance on the internet is changing how our brains operate.  As we become more reliant on the internet, and electronics in general, our brains are required to do less memorization and deep reading.  With facts and data being just a few keystrokes away, why tax our brains with memorization?  Why read a complete article or book, when with a few clicks several summaries and reviews give us what we need to know?

‘Tis the season…for football, dance, cheerleading, soccer, etc.  As I watched my favorite team scramble for a win on Saturday, I thought about all the coaching these players would get during and after the game, despite the win, as the team worked to improve.

Then I pondered all the feedback we’ve all gotten through the years, probably since we were tots, as we learned sports, the arts, or scholastics.  We expected and paid our coaches, mentors, and teachers to give us feedback.  We were all prepared for typical course corrections, and we didn’t cry about it, we didn’t complain, we used it to improve our next efforts and when we received praise, we knew we earned it.  We knew beyond a shadow of a doubt, that these leaders from whom we took direction wanted us to win, or succeed in however that’s measured.

So why, as business leaders, do we shy away from giving direct reports course corrections or positive feedback in a timely, specific, direct manner?  I frequently hear “the direct report will get defensive,” or “I don’t want to hurt their feelings,” but with all the experience they’ve had receiving feedback, we know they shouldn’t be fragile.  I can’t help but wonder if it is because we doubt our direct reports really believe our intention is to see them succeed.  Between traditional HR departments telling us “constructive criticism” must be documented in case we ever need to discipline a direct report or sever their employment, and employee representatives working to convince employees their supervisors are out to get them, our intentions are under severe scrutiny.

What if you explain individually to your direct reports you want them to be wildly successful and in order to do that you plan to give them more direct positive feedback and course corrections in a very timely manner, much like all the coaches with whom they grew up?  Look your direct report in the eye and convey your genuine desire to see them succeed and give them permission to challenge you if ever they begin to doubt why or how you are delivering the feedback.  Then watch the trust and productivity soar.

Empower your employees with candid feedback delivered with the commitment to their success and watch your team grow.

Hopefully you have a job description or accountability matrix for each of your key jobs.  This “report card” is essential for holding your direct reports accountable for their performance.

Most leaders do a pretty good job identifying job priorities and success factors, but expected time estimates are often overlooked.  Leaders and direct reports assume a “do whatever it takes” approach to allocating time to the job’s tasks.  While it is true, a direct report’s time needs to be managed to accomplish the job’s expectations, having a time guideline in place and reviewing the time spent can make both you and your direct report more effective.

For example, suppose a sales direct report is expected to spend 50% of their time prospecting, 25% closing, and 25% in admin.  But together you and the direct report realized they are spending 25% prospecting, 25% closing, and 50% in admin; what’s wrong?  You may be overwhelming your sales direct with unnecessary paperwork.  You may have a sales person who doesn’t like prospecting.  In either event you can’t fix the situation if you are not aware of how the job is being done.

Empower your direct reports to “guestimate” the percentage of time they spend on their accountabilities, review it with them, and you’ll be surprised at the success you’ll create.