First there’s Simon and Paula and Randy, and the Britain’s Got Talent crew. Then there’s the dance version: Bruno, Len and Carrie Ann on “Dancing With the Stars” (DWTS). Not that I’m a reality show junkie, but I have seen enough to know that we have something to learn from these judges’ very public “performance assessments.”
You Can’t Judge a Book By Its Blah-Blah-Blah. I know a lot has been said about the amazing performance of Britain’s Susan Boyle. It’s hard to add anything, but here goes my comparison… no matter how unlikely it seems that an employee will deliver the desired results, you’ve got to be encouraging and give them a chance. I’m not talking about when you have lots of evidence (real evidence) to the contrary. Otherwise, don’t set them up for meeting your low expectations. It takes a lot of personal effort on their part to work against your lack of confidence. Lighten up and you may be delightfully surprised. And be sure you’re providing appropriate support, which brings me to…
Be Consistent. From Judge Len of DWTS – one day he’ll say your performance is too raunchy, the next day, irresistibly raunchy. He seems to be guided by his mood, which only leads to mixed signals and mixed results. Make up your mind. If you change your mind, explain why.
Give Them Feedback, Good and Bad — Like You’re On Their Side. I found a show with the very-long-title of “Randy Jackson’s America’s Best Dance Crew.” Now I don’t know where these judges learned to give feedback, but Former N’Sync’er, JC Chasez, Hip-Hop choreographer, Shane Sparks and Hip-Hop artist, Lil Mama could teach a master class to workplace managers. What are they doing right?
- They pay attention. While the contestants are performing, the judges are making notes. They notice little things – little things that make a difference.
- They notice and share both what they like and don’t like, what’s working and what’s not.
- And most importantly, they share all of this in a way that shows they care about the contestants’ performances, their development and their attitudes. They are very specific in the feedback, which demonstrates that the contestants’ performance is worth their attention, no matter the level of quality. Their attention shows that they are concerned with contestants’ development. They deliver improvement feedback in a way that offers not only their expert advice, but also a feeling that they are rooting for their proteges.
HR nerd that I am, I like watching that show just to hear the judges. Oh, and the dance crews have some pretty sick moves too.
Would you like to get goodies or smart articles like this in future? If so, simply subscribe via email or RSS.
Hey there! See that button that says "Share/ Save" at the bottom of the post? I'd be honored if you picked one and shared.
Copyright 2009, Artemis Path, Inc. All rights reserved. No content on this site may be reused in any fashion without written permission from Artemis Path, Inc.
Related posts:
