| Pre-Calling Beats Post-Critiquing |
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Sports provide us with a wide-range of examples of coaching. We’ve seen coaches who:
- Yell and scream at their players throughout the game.
- Sit or stand stoically on the sidelines no matter what is happening on the field of play.
- Kneel with clipboard in hand while players surround them.
- Say nothing during the game and yell after the game.
We’ve seen teams who were woefully behind at the end of a period of play come back and win! Sports commentators then speculate on what the coaches said during the break, such as telling their teams to “be stronger on defense,” “stick to the basics,” “get the offense moving,” and so on.
What those coaches did before the games and during breaks was to pre-call or give instructions, set expectations, and express confidence in each player. We need to use those same tactics in our workplaces.
Pre-calling or setting expectations, giving instructions, and expressing confidence before someone starts a new task or project gives that person a better opportunity to succeed. Giving positive feedback and corrective feedback during the task let the person know what is being done well and what needs to be done better or correctly—more opportunities to be successful.
Ask yourself these questions to see if you’re relying on pre-calling before and during work or post-critiquing after the work is done.
- When do you have feedback sessions with employees: at the end of the task, project, or day? At the beginning of the week or at the end of the week?
- What percentage of your feedback comments are positive? What percentage are negative?
- What emotions do you experience when giving feedback? Do you find yourself disappointed or angry when giving corrective feedback?
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