Positive Feedback: What You Need To Know

Our guest post is from Brian Walton, senior pastor of Calvary Christian Church in Winchester, KY. He has some great tips on how to give positive feedback to team members—and how important it is. See what you can learn…and put into practice today!

One staff member whom I love and respect dearly confronted me a month ago and said she felt like I didn’t like her. Her comment came way out of left field for me, and I thought she must be out of her mind. When she began to explain her feelings to me, I realized that all of it originated from the fact that I don’t give positive feedback to her on a consistent basis.

Here are a few principles that we should all keep in mind about positive feedback:

1. It’s the surest way to motivate and inspire a team member.

2. It’s the most valuable form of payment we can give a team member.

3. It needs to be sincere. If you honestly don’t feel that you can praise the contributions of this individual—then at least affirm him or her for who he or she is in Christ and what the person means to you.

4. It needs to be specific. Praising and recognizing specific accomplishments is far more powerful than mass thank-yous.

5. It needs to be consistent. An annual awards dinner does not make up for an entire year of not praising those around us.

Which of these is the most difficult…and why? Share your answer on the blog.

Brian Walton has been in pastoral ministry for 14 years. He believes that his “reason for being” is to add value to the people and organizations in his life through leadership excellence and meaningful relationships.  Brian will be speaking at the Equipping Institute later this month–come and meet him and the other awesome leaders who will be joining us!