“That’s not right. Why did you do that?!”
Have you ever received feedback in this manner at work?
Some people, on receiving that, wouldn’t flinch. Perhaps they hear it often and they have been de-sensitised as ‘that’s just the way people talk to each other around here’.
Most of us have heard this kind of feedback at some point. In the fast paced world we live in, giving instructions / feedback in this way is often common.
The commonality of it doesn’t take away from the fact: That it STINGS. That it has an undercurrent which can impact people significantly.
At an Empowerment workshop a few days ago and after a wonderful debate on ‘normalizing feedback’ I used the example above to demonstrate the POWER of our language in the workplace.
Using ZOOM, I was able to see the reaction on everyone’s face.
The entire group of leaders FLINCHED.
They felt those words and the undercurrents of: Judgement, disappointment, shame.
The powerful conversation that followed was centered around how can we as #LEADERS choose to empower our teams through our language.
So:
Choose CURIOUSITY, instead of judgement.
Choose SUPPORT, instead of blame.
Choose CONNECTION, instead of isolation.
Leading to #EMPOWERMENT instead of restriction.