Businesses that are in the lucky position to design their office can find themselves asking a number of difficult questions, namely, what do we want? Designing your dream office is not just about aesthetics, but about productivity, and ensuring it fulfills its purpose. With this in mind, here are a few things to help you steer your design in the right direction.
Operating with a Safety-First Mindset
It’s critical for you to plan ahead to understand what you are going to accomplish. There will be a variety of challenges that your team faces, which means the space needs to serve their needs, and specifically, you also need to make sure that your team operates safely. Whether it’s opting for architectural metal panels in the cladding to prioritize structural safety or ensuring that the office is laid out appropriately to foster quick escapes in emergency situations, you must remember that you have to plan what your employees need. Sometimes, what your employees want is different from what they need. Therefore, you need to make sure that you operate with safety first.
Allowing for More Light
Natural light is going to make your employees more productive, which will result in a more efficient workforce. You need to incorporate as much natural light as possible, and avoid the pitfalls of the old-fashioned offices with windows that didn’t allow natural light in and boast overhead artificial lighting. While artificial lighting has been used in many offices, it is very unappealing, and it’s critical for you to have more natural light, as this will ensure your employees feel better coming into the office, but more importantly, feel better when they leave at the end of the day.
Boosting Productivity
Your layout is going to help with this, but you also need to think about some of the more critical components such as standing desks, breakout rooms, as well as the quality of furniture. When you are boosting productivity you are going to help your employees work smarter and harder. The office layout is about ensuring you increase collaboration if your workplace demands it. This is why you have to think about breakout spaces to allow one-on-one collaboration or meetings, but also ensure that your employees have the freedom to work in the way that suits their needs.
The Right Additions
In addition to lighting, you must think about how the workspace will impact their moods. The color of the surroundings will prompt different reactions, and therefore you might want to give consideration to soft colors because this can be less stimulating. However, it all depends on the type of work that’s being done in the space. In addition, you may want to increase the number of plants as this will reduce stress and can reduce noise levels. Because you need to have employees that are working at their optimum, ensuring that you can boost productivity in a number of these simple ways can do a lot.
Overall, when it comes to designing your dream office, you’ve got to work with the right layout, and aesthetics, and also make sure that your employees are doing their roles to the best of their ability without them feeling overworked.
https://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/free-man-in-white-dress-shirt-sitting-on-black-and.jpeg7501125StrategyDrivenhttps://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/SDELogo5-300x70-300x70.pngStrategyDriven2022-12-20 18:00:422022-12-20 19:39:45Construct and Consider: Designing Your Ideal Office
With the rise of ecommerce, more and more people are relying on online shopping to get their goods. This is great news for business owners who want to capitalize on this new market, but it’s important to remember that maximizing profits in the ecommerce world is no easy feat. It takes a lot of research and attention to detail. In this blog post, we’ll discuss some of the best ways to maximize your profits in the ecommerce world.
Utilize Customer Data
One of the most powerful tools at your disposal when it comes to maximizing profits is customer data. By taking a deep dive into customer data, you can gain valuable insights into what products or services are most popular with customers, as well as which ones aren’t doing so well. This information can then be used to make informed decisions about which products and services you should focus on promoting and selling, as well as which ones you should discontinue or reduce prices for.
Invest in Advertising & Promotion
In order for customers to find out about your products or services, you need to invest in advertising and promotion. Depending on your budget and goals, there are a variety of ways that you can go about this. For example, you may choose to invest in paid ads on search engines like Google or social media platforms like Facebook. You may also choose to invest in organic methods such as content marketing strategies like blogging or creating videos for YouTube. No matter which option you choose, investing in advertising and promotion will help you reach more potential customers and ultimately boost your profits.
Optimize Your Website
Shopping online has become increasingly popular among consumers due to its convenience; however, if your website isn’t optimized properly it could lead potential customers away from making purchases from your store. Make sure that all of the pages on your website are loading quickly and correctly so that customers don’t experience any issues while browsing through your store. Additionally, ensure that all payment processing forms are secure so that customers feel safe when entering their payment information on your site.
Work with Software
When it comes to ecommerce businesses, having the right software is essential for success. Not only can the right software help you maximize your profits, but it can also save you time and resources as well. Whether you’re selling goods or services online, it’s important to select a platform that is reliable and comprehensive. From creating product listings to getting the pricing right with an amazon repricer, the right ecommerce software can provide an effective toolset to ensure that transactions run smoothly and with minimal effort on your part.
Pushing Your Ecom Profits
As an ecommerce business owner striving for success, it’s important to keep these tips in mind when looking for ways to maximize profits—utilizing customer data, investing in advertising & promotion strategies, and optimizing your website will help ensure that your business succeeds! By following these steps diligently and staying up-to-date with industry trends and best practices, you can take advantage of the ever-growing ecommerce market! Good luck!
https://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/word-image-212834-1.png11601740StrategyDrivenhttps://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/SDELogo5-300x70-300x70.pngStrategyDriven2022-12-20 17:00:532022-12-20 19:50:10The Best Ways to Maximize Your Profits in the Ecommerce World
We’re living in the age of the video call. Once considered a product of science fiction, technology has finally caught up to the aspiration of doing a video call in real-time with someone for business or pleasure.
Individuals use video calls in their private lives, but companies use them for business purposes even more. Whatever your reason for wanting to do one, though, you might live in fear of Zoom or FaceTime calls if you’re not particularly tech-savvy.
Is it easy to set up a video call if you don’t know all that much about technology? Let’s talk about that in detail right now.
Video Calls for Businesses
For the most part, those who want to use video calls for business will utilize one particular app. Zoom is a popular one, as is Skype.
Even if you aren’t exactly the most tech-savvy individual, you can usually contact an IT company and ask them to set up video calling for your business. To find an appropriate entity to handle IT support, Mandurah business owners can conduct a search and see which IT companies have the best industry reputations. You’ll also want to find one in your price range.
As a business owner, you might also hire a permanent IT staff to handle setting up video calls for you. They can set up a system that even the least tech-savvy person can use with a minimum of difficulty.
Video Calls in Your Personal Life
As for making video calls in your personal life, most people can accomplish that as well, even if they don’t know very much about the latest technology. If you have an iPhone, for instance, you can Facetime someone simply by pressing the icon on the screen. After you do it one or two times, you should get the hang of it.
If you want to use a service like Zoom, you can do that as well. Zoom has a free option, so all you need to do is Google it and go to the website on your laptop, desktop, or tablet. Then, download it to your device and spend some time getting to know the app.
Most individuals find that it is very intuitive. With a little experimentation, you should feel like an expert at it in no time.
You Can Always Ask a Knowledgeable Person for Help
If you’re still finding that you’re struggling to make video calls, there’s no shame in asking someone who’s more IT-savvy for help. In the business world, that might be someone from your IT department or another coworker who seems to have no issues making video calls. In your private life, you might talk to a family member, friend, or neighbor who makes video calls frequently.
Most people can set up video calls relatively easily if they take some time to get to know the platform they’re using, even if those calls feature multiple individuals in different locations.
https://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/pexels-matilda-wormwood-4099099.jpeg8541280StrategyDrivenhttps://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/SDELogo5-300x70-300x70.pngStrategyDriven2022-12-19 19:00:382022-12-20 20:03:46Is It Easy to Set Up a Video Call if You’re Not Tech-Savvy?
If you run a business that’s not office-based, but quite the opposite, and you have a whole warehouse (or more) to take care of; you’ll already know about that added challenges you’ll face in comparison. You’ll have all the regular admin and process of an office-based company, with an array of added responsibilities, requirements, and practices, to consider. However, the rewards and turnover can be great, as long as each area is performing well and your business as a whole is a well-oiled machine (quite literally in some cases). Therefore, it’s the ideal time of year to go through each part of your warehouse operation, and to access it.
You want to figure out the areas that are working well, where need improvement, and what to scrap all together. This will ensure that you head into next year feeling confident about any changes you wish to implement, and how you’re best investing your time, efforts, and money. In doing so, you’ll be able to optimize the productivity in your warehouse, which will provide you with growth and development in your business throughout 2023 and beyond. It can feel a little overwhelming at times to know where to start, so you’ve come to the right place. The following are some ideas, tips, and advice for business owners who want their warehouse to be running as smoothly as possible next year, for optimal productivity and an increase in momentum.
A Clean (as it can be) and Organized Space
When times are busy, which is hopefully quite often, in your warehouse; it can become chaos in the space of a few hours. And, over time the organization and tidiness of the place can begin to affect the productivity of your business negatively. A messy warehouse floor is also a safety hazard, especially with heavy machinery around, also dirt and too much grime and waste can pose a health risk to your workers and team. Therefore, it’s time to ensure that you have the processes in place to keep on top of it effectively; it’s time to invest in who and what you need to help so that you can ensure a well-maintained warehouse next year and beyond. Your employees will also thank you for it.
You may find that your waste builds-up quickly, and becomes out of hand; therefore, it’s worth looking into route optimization for waste collection so that you can get assistance in hauling the trash you create and ensure you’re on top of your waste management. If your waste vehicles are struggling with the speed and efficiency of taking the waste away, because they take waste away literally by the truckload; invest in a company that has the latest software to help solve these issues. This will be a significant improvement on how your business runs, so don’t delay in investing.
Employee’s Job Satisfaction and Happiness
By ensuring that your waste truck drivers has the best in technology for their routing, and keeping a clean, safe, and organized warehouse floor; you’ll already be contributing to employee happiness. Being able to do their job as effectively as possible, and boost productivity; your employees need to feel like a valuable part of the team. Therefore, it’s worth thinking about how best to invest in them.
Perhaps their break room needs redecorating so that they can enjoy a rest and some refreshments and food in a pleasant environment. Team building days are great for those who work in the same area and who need to get along well, so ensure that they’re a regular part of working in your business.
Fully Functioning Equipment At All Times
Again, employee safety is paramount when it comes to a warehouse set-up (and, any set-up). Often, the biggest risk to safety is the heavy machinery, vehicles, and any equipment that is utilized within your business. Therefore, it should always be a priority to carry out regular maintenance checks, and if things aren’t up to scratch; either repair or replace immediately to minimize the risk of an accident. You can also minimize the risk of any accidents by ensuring the flooring within your warehouse is of the best quality. You can learn moreabout installing a mezzanine floor to increase the capacity of your warehouse while keeping the same standard of safety.
This will also affect what you’re producing; it’s no good having a clean, tidy, and organized environment, if your team are at risk every time they go to use or drive something. It could be worth looking into software and technology, or a company that provides them (as mentioned before), for specific items or areas, so that you can keep on top of where and when to invest in your equipment, processes, routes, and management, for a safe and smooth working environment for everyone.
https://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/word-image-212788-1.jpeg13652048StrategyDrivenhttps://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/SDELogo5-300x70-300x70.pngStrategyDriven2022-12-16 15:30:522024-02-13 12:35:04Optimizing Your Warehouse-Based Business, For Better Productivity
It isn’t easy for people to be honest with us, even when we ask them to be. In addition, those that we ask may not have the professional expertise to offer us the insights we need to work through difficult challenges.
Early on in my career, I was consulting for a major film and music studio in Los Angeles when a woman approached me to say, “Dr. Ron, I really love what you are teaching us, but would you like some feedback?” I’d learned from spiritual teacher Ram Dass that he always read letters and evaluations he got from his talks and teachings and what he paid attention to most intently was the negative feedback. He not only read and reread the more hostile and critical feedback forms, but, when he could, he’d either call or write the person to better understand the feedback and where it was coming from. Some of those letters turned into long exchanges until he felt that he’d truly processed what the critics were telling him.
I knew that this woman who approached me might offer some helpful insights, so even if it bruised my ego a little to be criticized, I said, “Fire away.”
She told me that she loved what I was teaching, then added, “but you’re teaching in the voice of an upper-crust white male.” I was taken aback, but recognized that this woman had done me a favor in pointing out my bias. I took a deep breath and said, “Tell me more.”
She gave me at least five examples where I had offered case examples about work that were all about men — and white men at that. In my family, we had six sisters and four brothers, but it was obvious to me that I’d adopted some of my dad’s strongly embedded views that came from spending his career in a corporate world dominated by white men. My dad always discussed men when he told his work-related stories. Rarely, if ever, had he brought up any stories about women. I hadn’t thought about how his limited experience working with women at his office back in an era when there were fewer women in the workplace might have influenced the types of anecdotes he shared.
I thanked the woman for sharing her perspective and promised I would change up my teaching stories. As a result of her feedback, I now think and teach with diversity in the foreground.
Fortunately, this woman’s criticism came from an open heart so it was easy to not take offense. If you’re asked to give feedback to someone in your life or at work, I find these four techniques keeps the conversation positive and productive:
1. Give your full attention. When anyone tells you about or shows you their project, give them your undivided attention. Don’t scroll on your phone, don’t multitask, and don’t interrupt except to ask for clarification. Set the foundation for them to be honest and vulnerable.
2. Respond with positivity. If you think it’s an awful idea, you can say something like, “It sounds like you’ve put a lot of thought and work into this project so far.” Go ahead and compliment them for their efforts rather than the outcome.
3.Ask questions from a place of genuine curiosity. Use questions such as, “I don’t think I’ve heard that before. How did you come up with that idea?” and “What about this plan appeals to you the most?” Understanding where they’re coming from and what their aspirations are can help you to better encourage them and give them constructive feedback. You can share what you’ve done in similar situations and what the outcome was. In this way, you’re making yourself vulnerable and making them feel more comfortable with any criticism you offer because you’re showing that, at times, you’ve been unsure or made wrong turns.
4. Offer feedback diplomatically. Finally, you can suggest something you think they might work on, but wait to see how they respond before you give them more feedback. Don’t overwhelm people with criticism and advice. You can ask whether they’d like more feedback or if they would rather work with their project some more first. In both my Art of Leadership and Core Creativity workshops, I’ll often ask: Would you like my feedback as mild, medium, or severe — like the hottest salsa?
Also, when asking for feedback on your project or idea, make sure to solicit it from a diverse group of people. You may benefit from asking someone with expertise in a particular area, someone who is good with alerting you to your emotions, someone with a different temperament, or someone who is very intuitive.
https://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/pexels-tima-miroshnichenko-5439455.jpg8001200StrategyDrivenhttps://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/SDELogo5-300x70-300x70.pngStrategyDriven2022-12-15 19:00:402022-12-15 13:19:38Enhance Your Communication Skills with Constructive Feedback
Construct and Consider: Designing Your Ideal Office
/in Practices for Professionals/by StrategyDrivenBusinesses that are in the lucky position to design their office can find themselves asking a number of difficult questions, namely, what do we want? Designing your dream office is not just about aesthetics, but about productivity, and ensuring it fulfills its purpose. With this in mind, here are a few things to help you steer your design in the right direction.
Operating with a Safety-First Mindset
It’s critical for you to plan ahead to understand what you are going to accomplish. There will be a variety of challenges that your team faces, which means the space needs to serve their needs, and specifically, you also need to make sure that your team operates safely. Whether it’s opting for architectural metal panels in the cladding to prioritize structural safety or ensuring that the office is laid out appropriately to foster quick escapes in emergency situations, you must remember that you have to plan what your employees need. Sometimes, what your employees want is different from what they need. Therefore, you need to make sure that you operate with safety first.
Allowing for More Light
Natural light is going to make your employees more productive, which will result in a more efficient workforce. You need to incorporate as much natural light as possible, and avoid the pitfalls of the old-fashioned offices with windows that didn’t allow natural light in and boast overhead artificial lighting. While artificial lighting has been used in many offices, it is very unappealing, and it’s critical for you to have more natural light, as this will ensure your employees feel better coming into the office, but more importantly, feel better when they leave at the end of the day.
Boosting Productivity
Your layout is going to help with this, but you also need to think about some of the more critical components such as standing desks, breakout rooms, as well as the quality of furniture. When you are boosting productivity you are going to help your employees work smarter and harder. The office layout is about ensuring you increase collaboration if your workplace demands it. This is why you have to think about breakout spaces to allow one-on-one collaboration or meetings, but also ensure that your employees have the freedom to work in the way that suits their needs.
The Right Additions
In addition to lighting, you must think about how the workspace will impact their moods. The color of the surroundings will prompt different reactions, and therefore you might want to give consideration to soft colors because this can be less stimulating. However, it all depends on the type of work that’s being done in the space. In addition, you may want to increase the number of plants as this will reduce stress and can reduce noise levels. Because you need to have employees that are working at their optimum, ensuring that you can boost productivity in a number of these simple ways can do a lot.
Overall, when it comes to designing your dream office, you’ve got to work with the right layout, and aesthetics, and also make sure that your employees are doing their roles to the best of their ability without them feeling overworked.
The Best Ways to Maximize Your Profits in the Ecommerce World
/in Online Marketing and Website Development/by StrategyDrivenWith the rise of ecommerce, more and more people are relying on online shopping to get their goods. This is great news for business owners who want to capitalize on this new market, but it’s important to remember that maximizing profits in the ecommerce world is no easy feat. It takes a lot of research and attention to detail. In this blog post, we’ll discuss some of the best ways to maximize your profits in the ecommerce world.
Utilize Customer Data
One of the most powerful tools at your disposal when it comes to maximizing profits is customer data. By taking a deep dive into customer data, you can gain valuable insights into what products or services are most popular with customers, as well as which ones aren’t doing so well. This information can then be used to make informed decisions about which products and services you should focus on promoting and selling, as well as which ones you should discontinue or reduce prices for.
Invest in Advertising & Promotion
In order for customers to find out about your products or services, you need to invest in advertising and promotion. Depending on your budget and goals, there are a variety of ways that you can go about this. For example, you may choose to invest in paid ads on search engines like Google or social media platforms like Facebook. You may also choose to invest in organic methods such as content marketing strategies like blogging or creating videos for YouTube. No matter which option you choose, investing in advertising and promotion will help you reach more potential customers and ultimately boost your profits.
Optimize Your Website
Shopping online has become increasingly popular among consumers due to its convenience; however, if your website isn’t optimized properly it could lead potential customers away from making purchases from your store. Make sure that all of the pages on your website are loading quickly and correctly so that customers don’t experience any issues while browsing through your store. Additionally, ensure that all payment processing forms are secure so that customers feel safe when entering their payment information on your site.
Work with Software
When it comes to ecommerce businesses, having the right software is essential for success. Not only can the right software help you maximize your profits, but it can also save you time and resources as well. Whether you’re selling goods or services online, it’s important to select a platform that is reliable and comprehensive. From creating product listings to getting the pricing right with an amazon repricer, the right ecommerce software can provide an effective toolset to ensure that transactions run smoothly and with minimal effort on your part.
Pushing Your Ecom Profits
As an ecommerce business owner striving for success, it’s important to keep these tips in mind when looking for ways to maximize profits—utilizing customer data, investing in advertising & promotion strategies, and optimizing your website will help ensure that your business succeeds! By following these steps diligently and staying up-to-date with industry trends and best practices, you can take advantage of the ever-growing ecommerce market! Good luck!
Is It Easy to Set Up a Video Call if You’re Not Tech-Savvy?
/in Practices for Professionals/by StrategyDrivenIndividuals use video calls in their private lives, but companies use them for business purposes even more. Whatever your reason for wanting to do one, though, you might live in fear of Zoom or FaceTime calls if you’re not particularly tech-savvy.
Is it easy to set up a video call if you don’t know all that much about technology? Let’s talk about that in detail right now.
Video Calls for Businesses
For the most part, those who want to use video calls for business will utilize one particular app. Zoom is a popular one, as is Skype.
Even if you aren’t exactly the most tech-savvy individual, you can usually contact an IT company and ask them to set up video calling for your business. To find an appropriate entity to handle IT support, Mandurah business owners can conduct a search and see which IT companies have the best industry reputations. You’ll also want to find one in your price range.
As a business owner, you might also hire a permanent IT staff to handle setting up video calls for you. They can set up a system that even the least tech-savvy person can use with a minimum of difficulty.
Video Calls in Your Personal Life
As for making video calls in your personal life, most people can accomplish that as well, even if they don’t know very much about the latest technology. If you have an iPhone, for instance, you can Facetime someone simply by pressing the icon on the screen. After you do it one or two times, you should get the hang of it.
If you want to use a service like Zoom, you can do that as well. Zoom has a free option, so all you need to do is Google it and go to the website on your laptop, desktop, or tablet. Then, download it to your device and spend some time getting to know the app.
Most individuals find that it is very intuitive. With a little experimentation, you should feel like an expert at it in no time.
You Can Always Ask a Knowledgeable Person for Help
If you’re still finding that you’re struggling to make video calls, there’s no shame in asking someone who’s more IT-savvy for help. In the business world, that might be someone from your IT department or another coworker who seems to have no issues making video calls. In your private life, you might talk to a family member, friend, or neighbor who makes video calls frequently.
Most people can set up video calls relatively easily if they take some time to get to know the platform they’re using, even if those calls feature multiple individuals in different locations.
Optimizing Your Warehouse-Based Business, For Better Productivity
/in Tactical Execution/by StrategyDrivenIf you run a business that’s not office-based, but quite the opposite, and you have a whole warehouse (or more) to take care of; you’ll already know about that added challenges you’ll face in comparison. You’ll have all the regular admin and process of an office-based company, with an array of added responsibilities, requirements, and practices, to consider. However, the rewards and turnover can be great, as long as each area is performing well and your business as a whole is a well-oiled machine (quite literally in some cases). Therefore, it’s the ideal time of year to go through each part of your warehouse operation, and to access it.
You want to figure out the areas that are working well, where need improvement, and what to scrap all together. This will ensure that you head into next year feeling confident about any changes you wish to implement, and how you’re best investing your time, efforts, and money. In doing so, you’ll be able to optimize the productivity in your warehouse, which will provide you with growth and development in your business throughout 2023 and beyond. It can feel a little overwhelming at times to know where to start, so you’ve come to the right place. The following are some ideas, tips, and advice for business owners who want their warehouse to be running as smoothly as possible next year, for optimal productivity and an increase in momentum.
A Clean (as it can be) and Organized Space
When times are busy, which is hopefully quite often, in your warehouse; it can become chaos in the space of a few hours. And, over time the organization and tidiness of the place can begin to affect the productivity of your business negatively. A messy warehouse floor is also a safety hazard, especially with heavy machinery around, also dirt and too much grime and waste can pose a health risk to your workers and team. Therefore, it’s time to ensure that you have the processes in place to keep on top of it effectively; it’s time to invest in who and what you need to help so that you can ensure a well-maintained warehouse next year and beyond. Your employees will also thank you for it.
You may find that your waste builds-up quickly, and becomes out of hand; therefore, it’s worth looking into route optimization for waste collection so that you can get assistance in hauling the trash you create and ensure you’re on top of your waste management. If your waste vehicles are struggling with the speed and efficiency of taking the waste away, because they take waste away literally by the truckload; invest in a company that has the latest software to help solve these issues. This will be a significant improvement on how your business runs, so don’t delay in investing.
Employee’s Job Satisfaction and Happiness
By ensuring that your waste truck drivers has the best in technology for their routing, and keeping a clean, safe, and organized warehouse floor; you’ll already be contributing to employee happiness. Being able to do their job as effectively as possible, and boost productivity; your employees need to feel like a valuable part of the team. Therefore, it’s worth thinking about how best to invest in them.
Perhaps their break room needs redecorating so that they can enjoy a rest and some refreshments and food in a pleasant environment. Team building days are great for those who work in the same area and who need to get along well, so ensure that they’re a regular part of working in your business.
Fully Functioning Equipment At All Times
Again, employee safety is paramount when it comes to a warehouse set-up (and, any set-up). Often, the biggest risk to safety is the heavy machinery, vehicles, and any equipment that is utilized within your business. Therefore, it should always be a priority to carry out regular maintenance checks, and if things aren’t up to scratch; either repair or replace immediately to minimize the risk of an accident. You can also minimize the risk of any accidents by ensuring the flooring within your warehouse is of the best quality. You can learn more about installing a mezzanine floor to increase the capacity of your warehouse while keeping the same standard of safety.
This will also affect what you’re producing; it’s no good having a clean, tidy, and organized environment, if your team are at risk every time they go to use or drive something. It could be worth looking into software and technology, or a company that provides them (as mentioned before), for specific items or areas, so that you can keep on top of where and when to invest in your equipment, processes, routes, and management, for a safe and smooth working environment for everyone.
Enhance Your Communication Skills with Constructive Feedback
/in Practices for Professionals/by Ronald A. AlexanderEarly on in my career, I was consulting for a major film and music studio in Los Angeles when a woman approached me to say, “Dr. Ron, I really love what you are teaching us, but would you like some feedback?” I’d learned from spiritual teacher Ram Dass that he always read letters and evaluations he got from his talks and teachings and what he paid attention to most intently was the negative feedback. He not only read and reread the more hostile and critical feedback forms, but, when he could, he’d either call or write the person to better understand the feedback and where it was coming from. Some of those letters turned into long exchanges until he felt that he’d truly processed what the critics were telling him.
I knew that this woman who approached me might offer some helpful insights, so even if it bruised my ego a little to be criticized, I said, “Fire away.”
She told me that she loved what I was teaching, then added, “but you’re teaching in the voice of an upper-crust white male.” I was taken aback, but recognized that this woman had done me a favor in pointing out my bias. I took a deep breath and said, “Tell me more.”
She gave me at least five examples where I had offered case examples about work that were all about men — and white men at that. In my family, we had six sisters and four brothers, but it was obvious to me that I’d adopted some of my dad’s strongly embedded views that came from spending his career in a corporate world dominated by white men. My dad always discussed men when he told his work-related stories. Rarely, if ever, had he brought up any stories about women. I hadn’t thought about how his limited experience working with women at his office back in an era when there were fewer women in the workplace might have influenced the types of anecdotes he shared.
I thanked the woman for sharing her perspective and promised I would change up my teaching stories. As a result of her feedback, I now think and teach with diversity in the foreground.
Fortunately, this woman’s criticism came from an open heart so it was easy to not take offense. If you’re asked to give feedback to someone in your life or at work, I find these four techniques keeps the conversation positive and productive:
1. Give your full attention. When anyone tells you about or shows you their project, give them your undivided attention. Don’t scroll on your phone, don’t multitask, and don’t interrupt except to ask for clarification. Set the foundation for them to be honest and vulnerable.
2. Respond with positivity. If you think it’s an awful idea, you can say something like, “It sounds like you’ve put a lot of thought and work into this project so far.” Go ahead and compliment them for their efforts rather than the outcome.
3. Ask questions from a place of genuine curiosity. Use questions such as, “I don’t think I’ve heard that before. How did you come up with that idea?” and “What about this plan appeals to you the most?” Understanding where they’re coming from and what their aspirations are can help you to better encourage them and give them constructive feedback. You can share what you’ve done in similar situations and what the outcome was. In this way, you’re making yourself vulnerable and making them feel more comfortable with any criticism you offer because you’re showing that, at times, you’ve been unsure or made wrong turns.
4. Offer feedback diplomatically. Finally, you can suggest something you think they might work on, but wait to see how they respond before you give them more feedback. Don’t overwhelm people with criticism and advice. You can ask whether they’d like more feedback or if they would rather work with their project some more first. In both my Art of Leadership and Core Creativity workshops, I’ll often ask: Would you like my feedback as mild, medium, or severe — like the hottest salsa?
Also, when asking for feedback on your project or idea, make sure to solicit it from a diverse group of people. You may benefit from asking someone with expertise in a particular area, someone who is good with alerting you to your emotions, someone with a different temperament, or someone who is very intuitive.
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