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“Thanks for coming in on-time, Todd.”

By Marcus Blankenship

I was chatting with my general contractor, and the subject of offering feedback to team members came up.  See if this sounds familiar.

He said, “I get soooooo sick of nagging them to do things right, I feel like I’m constantly complaining.  I want to be a good boss, so now instead of complaining about someone who’s late, I praise someone who’s on-time in front of them.”

Curious, I asked, “Really, can you give me an example?”

“Sure.  This morning Jim was about 30 minutes late, but everyone else was on-time.  When I saw Jim and Todd talking before lunch, I walked up and said “Thanks for coming in on-time, Todd.”  Then I looked at Jim for a long minute to make sure he got the message.  That style of feedback keeps me from having to constantly complain because no-one likes a boss like that.”

What do you think?

What do you think of that style of feedback?
How would you change it?
Why?

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About Marcus Blankenship

Where other technical coaches focus on process or tools, I focus on the human aspects of your Programmer to Manager transition. I help you hire the right people, create the right culture, and setup the right process which achieves your goals. Managing your team isn't something you learned in college. In fact, my clients often tell me "I never prepared for this role, I always focused on doing the work". If you're ready to improve your leadership, process and team, find out how I can help you.

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