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Excerpts from the book “Let’s Talk” by Therese Huston
Appreciation:
Appreciation is praise or recognition. E.g., “You were brilliant on that conference call this morning”. Appreciation signals that someone’s work is seen and valued. It is always best to give appreciation right at the moment.
When an employee (new or tenured) is doing a task for the first or second time, they need appreciation more than anything else. Appreciation keeps them motivated and willing to push through their self-doubts, missteps, and frustrations, which are many when you’re new to a task. A general approach is to first focus your attention on what is working and then steer them toward doing more of that.
For someone new on the job, it’s better to spend the first 30 days primarily on appreciation and hold off other kinds of feedback. this helps build relationships.
Coaching:
This is aimed at helping the other person adapt, pivot, learn, and grow. Coaching is advice. E.g., “Your presentation took off on a great note, but in the middle folks got lost in the technical details. Having a few diagrams in the presentation would have been helpful”.
Coaching is transformation, showing the other person how he/she can flourish more often. Coaching helps the other person identify possible next steps they can adopt or adapt. Take note of employee’s work and provide coaching within 2-3 days of the behavior you observed.
Evaluation:
This is about letting the other person know where they stand regarding ranking, rating, or comparison to peers. E.g., “An area of improvement is working independently which is expected at this level”. Evaluation is about setting expectations and letting them know if they are meeting them or where they are falling short. Are they likely to receive a rating/promotion?
It is good to have an evaluation session at least every 6 weeks or at most every quarter.
Notes:
It’s always good to let employees know the types of feedback and ask them what kind of feedback they would like to receive at any given time.
It’s easy to mix up coaching and evaluation, so it’s better to be explicit with the employee on what they would like to receive and what is that you are trying to communicate.