Issue link: http://psai.uberflip.com/i/1120405
W EEKLY EDITION MAY 22, 2019 Feedback: Friend or Foe? … Continued from page 2 By Karleen Kos, PSAI Executive Director So what does that look like? 1 Focus on outcomes, not the exact means of achieving them. The HBR article cited the method Tom Landry used to coach the Dallas Cowboys. Rather than looking at game tapes and studying the errors everyone made — which is the standard operating procedure for most teams — Landry looked through the footage of many games and created personalized tapes for each player showing him instances when he had played well, doing something easily, naturally, and effectively. As HBR put it, " Landry reasoned that the numbe r of w rong w ays to do something was infinite, the number of right ways for any particular player, w as not. It was knowable, and the best w ay to discover it w as to look at plays w here that person had done it excellently. From now on, he told each team membe r, 'we only replay your w inning plays.'" Focusing on employees 'winning plays' does not mean they can do everything their own way. Like many industries where safety and precision are part of the job , the portable sanitation industry has standards that employees are required to follow. These procedures are important; you can and shou ld make sure everybody follows them. Even in football, everyone has to wear a helmet. Despite the limitations of standards, there are many aspects of portable sanitat ion careers that don't have to be done exactly one way. Landry's idea was actually pretty simple. He thought that if players could see what their own version of excellence looked like, they'd do more of it. You can replicate a version of this in your compa ny. Whenever you see a team member do something that worked well for you or the company, call attention to it. By helping your employee understand what works well, you are highlighting something already present. This technique will help him or her recogniz e and repeat it. It's so much easier to replicate something about which the boss said, "Yes, yes, THAT!!" than it is to avoid all of the possible, "Oh nooooooo" actions. 2. Try using language that doesn't shut down learning or create defensiveness. You may b e thinking, "Oh for pete's sake, it's my business and I'll tell it like it is." Of course you can do that. Like you said, it's your business. This is just a suggestion that research has shown might help your team actually make the changes you want sooner, more consistently, and with better morale. Here are some examples from HBR and other sources, adapted for the PSAI. P AGE 9 CONTINUED ON PAGE 1 0