Before coming to your training, please do the following:
As a leader, your goal is to help your associates improve performance so that they can progress as employees. As you give and receive feedback, be sure to follow principles of the Leadership Pattern. Strengthen your associates and help them understand that your goal is to help them and see them through to success. When necessary, provide not only positive feedback, but also corrective feedback so you can help your associates continuously improve.
Read the following quote:
“We have the responsibility to see individuals not as they are but rather as they can become” (Thomas S. Monson, “See Others as They May Become,” Ensign, Nov. 2012, 70).
From the following list, choose and complete one or more activities that best apply to your situation.
Divide into pairs and share an experience when you have helped someone or another person helped you to improve an attitude or behavior using the Leadership Pattern.
Record your responses in your learner's journal.
Read the following quote:
“We discovered the progress principle: Of all the things that can boost emotions, motivation, and perceptions during a workday, the single most important is making progress. . . . And the more frequently people experience that sense of progress, the more likely they are to be creatively productive in the long run. . . . [Everyday] progress—even a small win—can make all the difference in how they feel and perform. The power of progress is fundamental to human nature” (Teresa M. Amabile and Steven J. Kramer, “The Power of Small Wins,” Harvard Business Review, May 2011, 72; italics in original).
Watch the video “To Act or Be Acted Upon” (LDS.org), which is an excerpt from President James E. Faust's talk “Choices” (Ensign or Liahona, May 2004, 51–54).
Discuss how you have helped associates understand the role of agency in their temporal lives (at work).
Feedback can be used to instruct, direct, guide, or encourage a person as he or she works toward a goal or expectation. It should be provided on an ongoing basis, not just when a person makes mistakes.
Read the following quote:
“Feedback creates opportunities for learning and the energy so critical for a culture of thriving. By resolving feelings of uncertainty, feedback keeps people's work-related activities focused on personal and organizational goals. The quicker and more direct the feedback, the more useful it is” (Gretchen Spreitzer and Christine Porath, “Creating Sustainable Performance,” Harvard Business Review, Jan.–Feb. 2012, 92–99).
From the following list, choose and complete one or more activities that best apply to your situation.
As a group, watch one or more of the three short videos provided below. Discuss the questions below them.
Then, as a group, discuss:
Divide into pairs and role-play a situation where you could provide positive feedback. Use statements that describe the situation or behavior, express a positive result, and specify future desired behavior. For example:
Deseret Industries approaches discipline from a gospel-centered perspective; this is different than the world’s approach. This gospel-centered approach includes the following principles:
From the following list, choose and complete one or more activities that best apply to your situation.
Divide into pairs and discuss the following questions:
Record your answers in your learner's journal.
Discuss the following scenario:
Your associate is consistently late for work. You have addressed the problem before using progressive discipline, but the associate's behavior has not changed. The employee needs this job, so you are reluctant to approach the issue again.
Seek to identify a personal or business gap or need.
Spend a few minutes silently pondering what you've discussed during this lesson. Listen as the Holy Ghost helps you identify areas where you can improve. Record your impressions in your learner's journal under the question “What Lack I Yet?”
Seek ways to close the gap or develop the required talent(s) to meet the need.
With the guidance of the Spirit, create your plan of how you will improve and close the gap(s) you have identified. You may use one or more of the exercises below, your own strategy, or a combination of both. Record this plan in your learner's journal under “What Must I Do?”
After a few minutes, those who are comfortable doing so can share their impressions with the group.
Seek understanding, and then share what you learned.
During the week, focus on implementing the plan you created. Record your impressions or lessons learned in your learner's journal under “Therefore, What?” You will be given time at the beginning of next week's lesson to share your experience with the group.
Use this material if you would like to learn more about improving performance.
