Here’s a quick tip for how to give powerful feedback that will definitely move the needle on your sales team’s performance.
For a bit of context, a group of psychologists led by David Scott Yeager conducted a study of teachers giving feedback to students. Just 19 words had a dramatic effect in boosting performance and discretionary effort—by 2X.
STANDARD VERSION
“I’m giving you these comments because I have very high expectations and I know you can reach them.”
PRO VERSION (FOR WORD-CLASS “COACHES”)
“I’m giving you these comments because I have very high expectations and I know you can reach them. Give it a try and if you need help, I’ll be here.”
Why is this “Wise Feedback” so powerful?
For starters it helps build trust, signals belonging, and combines 5 fundamental drivers of individual performance:
◆ Conveys high-performance standards—which encourages people to stretch, tapping into discretionary effort
◆ Expresses confidence in them and their ability to execute—which boosts their self-efficacy / self-confidence
◆ Empowers them with the freedom / autonomy to try and experiment on their own—which promotes independence / personal agency
◆ Reinforces your support for them so that they know you’re on the same team and always there to help—which reinforces alignment and rapport
◆ Pushes ownership onto them to get THEM to own it—which reinforces personal accountability
TAKE AWAY
Managers deliver transactional feedback.
World-class “coaches” deliver transformational feedback.
Transactional feedback focuses on the deal or specific skill they’re trying to teach.
Transformational feedback focuses on the person and encourages them to stretch beyond their comfort zone to try, learn, and continuously improve.
Don’t be a manager. Become a “coach.”
