A trend in management is to claim to appreciate upward feedback from employees. However, few managers actually reward, or even respond well to, constructive upward feedback. Similarly, having learned from the negative repercussions suffered in previous experiences, most seasoned employees avoid providing it.

There are a number of great reasons to embrace upward feedback from employees, such as process or procedural improvements and identifying new opportunities. To cultivate communication within your group, regularly invite feedback from your team, both on an individual level and in group environments. To facilitate this process, begin by requiring members of your team to identify at least two of each of the following.

• Things you can do to improve the work environment.
• Process or procedure improvements that can increase (i) accuracy, (ii) efficiency, (iii) marketability, and/or (iv) effectiveness.
• Opportunities.

The reason for requiring at least two suggestions for multiple matters is that it requires investing more time and effort in developing solutions. Generally, greater effort will translate into a more constructive response than will a single suggestion to a single matter.

Then, demonstrate that you are receptive to your team’s feedback by discussing, considering, and working with your team to implement the appropriate suggestions.

To catalyze feedback, add these requirements to a person’s performance goals.

Let your voice be heard! There are a number of benefits that can be achieved by sharing your thoughts. Others might agree with what you have to say. Some people feeling isolated or alone might be relieved to learn that another person has similar beliefs or concerns. Others might learn from your opinions or experiences. To the extent you’re message communicates a question or indecision, people might respond with valuable guidance. Blogging is also a great way to develop a social and professional network.

For example, a friend of the TPLL family (“the seller”) ventured past generally accepted commercial boundaries to sell her house. The seller’s house was under contract, but, oddly, the seller’s realtor seemed to be going out of her way to sour the relationship with the buyers. For example, her realtor would tell the buyers’ realtor that the seller was being unreasonable without communicating this opinion to the seller. Instead, the seller learned of the realtor’s comments through an email forwarded to her by accident. Consequentially, the buyers dropped the contract. Frustrated, the seller reached out to the buyers directly, attempting to undo the damage done by her realtor. She was rewarded with an even better offer from the buyers the next day. The surprised (and seemingly disgruntled) realtor said she didn’t know how the miracle came about.

A recent example comes from a person who, after being bullied out of a job, successfully obtained unemployment benefits despite doubts expressed by legal professionals. The consensus among the attorneys was that this person would not be awarded benefits because (i) the bullying did not constitute harassment and (ii) the employee left of his own accord.

When he applied for unemployment benefits, the employee maintained simple arguments. He objectively described the deterioration of his health caused by the bullying, and the constant fear that if he did not leave, his manager would contrive of an excuse to fire him as she claimed to try to do to others.

He was awarded benefits on those arguments. If this person had followed the advice of the attorneys, he would never have applied for benefits, and would have been without that financial support while searching for a new position. All it cost him was a few hours of his time. This person explained that he would be reliving the pain of the experience repeatedly while searching for a new job, so he asked himself, why not apply it towards achieving something positive? The man found a new position a few weeks later.

• What are your supervisor’s expectations?
• What has worked in the past?
• What hasn’t worked in the past?
• How often would she like updates, and in what form would she like updates?
• What is the best way to communicate with your supervisor?

Then, schedule a meeting with your manager one month and three months after your meeting to go over what has been working, what hasn’t been working, and what she’d like you to improve upon.

Vocal communication can impede conflict resolution. Generally, people feel obligated to respond to the other person’s comments immediately. Long pauses are discomforting in vocal communication. Because people do not give themselves time to temper their emotional responses, emotions can interfere with clear, thoughtful vocal communication.

If you feel that emotions are interfering with effective communication with a partner, ask your loved one to join you in testing a different method of communication. Both of you sit in different rooms, or separate spaces, and take two hours to write down – as unemotionally and objectively as possible – the following.

1. What you (or your partner) is trying to communicate to the other.
2. What you (or your partner) thinks the other is trying to communicate.

Then, exchange what is written, read, and discuss them. Promise to each other not to use this as an opportunity to insult or attack the other partner, or to assume that the other partner is insulting or attacking you. Instead, use this as an opportunity to hear the concerns of the other person and correct misunderstandings.

• Create an electronic file that is intended as a means to communicate between staff, teams, and departments. Following are three examples.
  • A document in which one Department can record notable information about a project being picked up or evaluated by another Department.
  • A “critical matters” memo in which teams within a department working on the same project or contributing to a single product can document critical items impacting the results.
  • An electronic review document, where reviewer and preparer comments are recorded.
• If you’re not a team leader, create a file similar to one described in #1, but, advise your supervisor that you created it to maintain a written record for yourself and future users, clients, or vendors to ensure accuracy and improve efficiency.
• Casually let everyone know at the conclusion of conversations that you’ll send a follow-up email summarizing the conversation.
• At the start of the document, state that you’d like the person to make any corrections or additions they feel are appropriate to ensure your understanding is correct.
• Ask the recipients to read through the document or summary to ensure you captured everything from the conversation.
• Ask people if they are comfortable with you sending a follow-up email to confirm your understanding of the conversation.
• Ask people if you understood part of a conversation correctly or to clarify part of a conversation.
• Require your team – especially your team leaders – to send emails summarizing most business conversations.
• Request written confirmations.
• Advise the recipient that you’ll leave it to his best judgment whether to use the checklist or that you thought he might like a summary of the steps.
• Advise your sweetie that she’s really important to you and that you want to ensure:
  • you didn’t miss anything, or
  • you captured or understood everything correctly.
• Always be consistent.