@bbcomCIO

Yesterday I had a chance to meet with my entire team followed-up with a couple of my direct reports for a bit of 360degree feedback on my performance as the Chief Geek(aka CIO).  Most of the conversation was what I expected it to be, but there were other aspects of the conversation that I did not expect.

First let me set the stage a bit:

1. I am the type of person that really likes honest and non-filtered feedback (don’t candy coat it for me).
2. I silicate such feedback any time I get the chance (Your not going to get in trouble if your honest and respectful).
3. If your not hearing things that challenge you your most likely not getting the truth about your performance (nobody is perfect)
4. You won’t be able to have a 100% fan club (someone will always think you should do it a different way)

Next up, very honest feedback (brutal honesty is best) and if you get it you know your people are comfortable with giving honest and constructive feedback.  I’m not supportive of a negative feedback loop or a complaint box, in fact it’s just the opposite.  Feedback should be presented in a way that moves everyone involved toward greatness as a team, it should provide solutions not complaints, and it should foster growth and a higher level of maturity in your organization.  If you “As a Leader” are not setting the context for your team and you don’t accept feedback that your missing the mark, how are you going to know how to correct it.

Analogy: I’m a pilot so I like to use pilot analogies.  If I’m flying IFR (Instrument Flight Rating)  I better trust that my instruments are giving me honest feedback or I might fly straight into the side of a mountain.  As the pilot I should also trust that feedback is accurate feedback.  If the instruments are telling me the “truth” but I don’t accept it’s true I’m in big trouble.  As a student pilot working on an IFR rating you initially don’t trust your instruments, you trust your body and how it feels.  Similarly you may not trust your team feedback at first and instead rely solely on your previous experiences and intuition.  In IFR Training you find that you senses can be tricked and ultimately lead you in making bad decisions.  Many hours into the IFR training you learn that your senses may tell you that you’re flying banked left and nose up but your instruments tell you that your level and nose down the question is do you trust the instruments or your senses?   This is the same with your team feedback, at first you have a hard time trusting the feedback and that might be good until you build a model you can trust.  Over time your team gets more comfortable and you hone in the feedback loop to provide honest feedback you learn to trust and navigate.

I’m not making the argument that everything is a committee decision process in management and that everything you do as a leader should be solely based on a 360degree decision process but when it comes to getting feedback you must allow and model a process that provides honest feedback to you and your leadership style and then filter out the parts that are simply just venting vs. constructive feedback.

This of course is only one aspect of feedback and leadership but one I think about often as I prefer an honest feedback system.  In the spirit of getting honest feedback, tell me what you think about this concept and how you give your teams the ability to feedback information to you about you.

To wrap up with the story, I was given thoughtful and direct criticism in a few areas of my management style.  This felt good and it’s a great model if you can muster up the guts to accept it.  I welcome open criticism in all aspects of my management style and I enjoy the challenge to change my approach if my approaches are not working.

The Question is are you open and willing as a leader of people to accept criticism no matter what it might be.  Are you willing to change the way you lead and manage your people?

There are many ways to approaches to accept change, one way is to simply avoid it and hope it goes away, another (much better) is to accept it openly and drive toward making changes that better you, your team and your organization as a whole.

What’s my plan: I’m planning to take action on the feedback I received (as I do on a normal basis).  I will put it in my 90 day plans, put a goal around solving it and what the outcome would be.  Then I plan to share it with the people who gave me that feedback.

So I’m out of town and for the second time my Kenmore fridge breaks. Not a huge break just the fan that keeps the fridge from performing a nuclear meltdown. Three months ago I had them send a repair man out to fix the thing because it smelled like it was going to melt, and 40 minutes later I’m taking out a second mortages to pay the dude. Well the same part went out again (fan) and I decided I just order it and put the thing in. I end up being out of town when the part gets in but I figure easy deal, my two boys can just install the thing, it’s only a couple bolts. After a few phone calls, some pictures sent via cell phone it become evident that Sears in all their wisdom has most likely sent me the wrong part. No, I actually used the right model number I had to check that one 3 times to be sure. So while I’m eating dinner at a business get together I see this come in my mail on my iphone (no MMS here but that is another rant).

This just goes to show you that you are never to young to do things that work. This is pretty freaking impressive if you ask me.

Picture1: The Computer Fan

Production Beings to Take place

Next Up we see that fan is now wired into a powersupply

Next is the first attempt to anchor the fan in where it will cool the coils

And then we see success on round 2.  the fridge will stay cool until I can take a look at it and figure out what the heck Sears sent me.

I have to say that this work is pretty amazing to me. It’s no wonder the Bible tells us to never doubt the ability of our young.