Marcus Buckingham wrote, “People don’t want feedback, they want attention.” Dan Rockwell posted an article on LinkedIn about people not wanting feedback because feedback is arrogant. We don’t really know people and we have not walked in their shoes. People want us to notice their traits like, “You’re a curious person, I notice you ask a lot of questions.”
Rockwell states that if you tell people what we think of their performance, it doesn’t help them thrive and excel, and telling them how we think they should improve actually hinders their learning.
Rockwell suggests 5 things that elevate job satisfaction and enhance job performance:
1. I notice your energy goes up when …
2. I notice that people always want you on their team.
3. I notice you always follow-up.
4. I notice that your projects always come in on time.
5. I notice that your team loves taking on challenges.
2 things for noticing:
1. Notice behaviors that express values.
2. Notice strengths that produce results.
For example, say, “When you encouraged Wilma, I thought, “That’s the stuff that helps us become a great place to work.”
Or, ”The questions you asked during our meeting make me want you in our meetings.”
What gets noticed gets repeated.
What’s on your noticing list?