The "Sandwich Approach" Undermines Your Feedback - Roger Schwarz by Roger Schwarz | 10:00 AM April 19, 2013 Have you ever used the “sandwich approach” to give negative feedback to your direct reports? You sandwich the negative feedback between two pieces of positive feedback. It’s a common method, but the sandwich approach may be undermining both your feedback and your relationships with your direct reports. First, let’s look at why leaders use the sandwich approach and why it doesn’t work. They think it’s easier for people to hear and accept negative feedback when it comes with positive feedback. They assume the sandwich approach provides balanced feedback. They believe that giving positive feedback with negative feedback reduces discomfort and anxiety. Effective leaders are transparent about the strategies they use when working with others. Imagine that you plan to use the sandwich approach with Alex and Stacey, two direct reports who just gave a presentation to your senior leadership team. Identify your strategy for the conversation.
amazon Why we need to groom leaders who can handle ambiguity and complexity How do we typically select and train our leaders? They learn theories of leadership that often assume organizations are mostly stable, and that the environment and the people within them are predictable. Oh, yes, there is some attention paid to what to do in crisis, usually as a singular event, with an expectation to return to the norm. But the world today is highly unpredictable, and rapid and significant change is the norm. Our leaders must be flexible, adaptive. They must be able to handle ambiguity, and complexity. Scott Anthony, in an article in the Harvard Business Review Online , argues that we may be preparing leaders the wrong way. Part of the problem, Anthony says, is that we judge leaders by what they have done in the past, and they have a tendency to stick to what they do best and know, rather than venture into "white water" or unknown territory. The authors argue that the job of leadership during a sustained crisis is fraught with peril.
7 Effective Time Management Tips To Maximize Your Productivity We live in a world of massive distraction. No matter where you are today, there is always going to be distractions. Your colleagues talking about their latest date, notification messages popping up on your screens, and not just your mobile phone screens. And even if you try to find a quiet place, there will always be someone with a mobile device that is beeping and chirping. With all these distractions, it is incredibly difficult to concentrate on anything for very long. So how to focus and concentrate better? 1. Yes, I know this one is hard for most people. So turn them off. You do not need to do this for very long. If you have never done this before, you will feel very uncomfortable at first. Over time, as you do this more frequently, you will soon begin to find your brain fights you less and less. 2. Many of us listen to music using some form of music streaming service, and it is very easy to create our own playlists of songs. ⌄ Scroll down to continue reading article ⌄ 3. 4.
Research Mapping Human Emotions Shows Strong Mind Body Connection Photo: Bodily topography of basic (Upper) and nonbasic (Lower) emotions associated with words. The body maps show regions whose activation increased (warm colors) or decreased (cool colors) when feeling each emotion. (P < 0.05 FDR corrected; t > 1.94). Love makes us warm all over, and now scientists are creating body maps to prove it. A team of scientists in Finland has used a topographical self-reported method to reveal the effects that different emotional states have on bodily sensations. Most basic emotions were associated with sensations of elevated activity in the upper chest area, likely corresponding to changes in breathing and heart rate (1). Research on behavioral and physiological responses to emotions could help in understanding mood disorders such as anxiety and depression. “Emotions coordinate our behavior and physiological states during survival-salient events and pleasurable interactions. This research is another great example of the mind and body connection.
The surprising benefits of “uitwaaien”—the Dutch practice of spending time in the wind Recently I was in San Francisco, a city known for its tech companies, steep hills, and fierce winds. Each day I’d run around the neighborhood and up through the park, ending with a spectacular view of the Golden Gate Bridge. Back in my AirBnB, I’d feel energized and refreshed, fingers tingling from the breeze. It was cold, exhausting, but completely exhilarating. As it turns out, there’s a unique term, from the Dutch, for this sort of pastime. So open that calendar app and note some time for uitwaaien. A growing body of evidence suggests that Dutch speakers may be onto something. Other researchers have found similar results, linking activities like nature walks with reduced levels of depression, perceived stress, and negative emotions. While research into the benefits of waterscapes isn’t as well-established, evidence suggests these “blue spaces” may be equally—or perhaps even more—beneficial to mental well-being. Pretty agrees.
Leadership and Motivation - John Adair Most would agree that good people are essential to business success. Yet many good people do not contribute as much as they could do because they lack that magic quality - motivation. So what makes the difference, and how is it relevant to you in your work? In his book 'Leadership and Motivation', John Adair looks at the factors that influence motivation in a business context and identifies some specific drivers in the context of Action-Centred Leadership. The Fifty - Fifty Rule Reviewing the evidence, Adair concludes that people are motivated half from within and half by the environment they work in, and particularly by the quality of leadership they experience. Motivating Others Adair identifies 8 key ways in which leaders influence others to feel motivated and therefore more engaged in their work: "It is a fine thing to have ability, but the ability to find ability in others is the true test" Elbert Hubbard
Why The Art of Speaking Should Be Taught Alongside Math and Literacy Classrooms in the U.S. often focus most attention on literacy and math, largely because those skills are considered foundational and are tested. However most people will also need to communicate their thoughts and ideas to other people through oral language, and yet effective communication strategies are often not taught with the same precision and structure as other parts of the curriculum. School 21, a public school in London has made "oracy" a primary focus of everything they do. From the earliest grades on up teachers support students to find their voice, express differing opinions politely, and challenge one another's thinking. These are skills called for in the Common Core, but can be hard to find in many classrooms because students haven't been taught how to make "turn and talks" truly effective. The Edutopia team visited School 21 and captured some amazing videos of students practicing their communication skills with support from teachers.
Why Talented People Don’t Use Their Strengths Executive Summary Experts have long encouraged people to “play to their strengths.” But based on my observations, this is easier said than done, because we often undervalue what we inherently do well. If you watched the Super Bowl a few months ago, you probably saw the coaches talking to each other over headsets during the game. When McKenna-Doyle was hired, she observed that a number of her people were struggling, but not because they weren’t talented — because they weren’t in roles suited to their strengths. Cave had the talent to create products and build things. Experts have long encouraged people to “play to their strengths.” Often our “superpowers” are things we do effortlessly, almost reflexively, like breathing. As a leader, the challenge is not only to spot talent but also to convince your people that you value their talents and that they should, too. Begin by identifying the strengths of each member of your team. What exasperates you? What compliments do you dismiss?
Emotional Intelligence: The Social Skills You Weren't Taught in School