My personal understanding of feedback and
goals to performance is that in order to grow and learn you must know what you
could do to improve, but you also must know why you are trying to improve. In
our text Brown states “the combination of goal setting with feedback on
individual performance has a positive effect on performance; while in contrast
giving feedback on performance without having previously set goals does not
lead to improved performance” (Brown, 2011, p 321). This statement makes a lot
of sense when reflecting back over the times I have received feedback and how I
handled it. For example when I was younger and my sister would tell me that I
was annoying I didn’t know why or how to improve and I never really had a
desire to not be this way, so hearing this only made me defensive and react
negatively usually ending in an argument. However, when I was in my evaluation
earlier this year I was advised that I was doing a great job, but I needed to
improve my confidence. I knew going into the evaluation I needed to improve my confidence,
as this is an area I struggle with the most. When my director gave me positive
feedback as well as this one negative I was able to internalize the goal to
become more confident and accept the feedback. Since the evaluation I have been
pulled into my director’s office to hear how impressed and happy he was with
the way I have built my confidence over these past couple of months.
As a Generation Y (anyone born after 1980) I
have to agree with Brown’s statement that my generation “wants a lot of
feedback – from their immediate bosses and anyone else” (Brown, 2011, p 322).
This resonates a lot with me because I am always asking for feedback no matter
who the source is or what the task may be because I like to know what someone is
looking for, and if I did it correctly. Maybe my generation is quick to please,
or maybe it was the way in which our teachers within the school system
reinforced us? Somehow there seems to be a correlation between the events that
occurred from 1980 until now as far as the need for feedback. I know that I
like to know how I am performing because I like to do things correctly. If I am
not doing something correctly it usually shows me that I need more training, I
need to understand my task better, or I am not critically thinking about the
situation in order to change the way I am approaching it.
Recently I received feedback from my
professor that I did not complete a certain assignment to the best of my
abilities, which was extremely hard for me to handle. When reviewing the grade
and the comments I was devastated and automatically shut down. Instead of remembering,
“constructive feedback is a gift” I took it and shut it down. Constructive
feedback is a gift when it is given in a “timely manor, its useful to the
assignment, accurate, clear, and made with the best intentions” (Tremaine,
R. (1997). This bad grade I received had a wonderful gift attached with
detailed instructions of where I lacked explanation and how I could improve.
The very next week I turned in another assignment and got a really great grade
so this feedback served its purpose!
Overall I am pretty good at setting goals and following
through with them. At ERAU I believe that they allow us the freedom to choose
our own goals while also finding a way to get us to accept the goals that they
have in place for the organization. Recently due to the government shut down
our enrollment decreased which affected the entire organization as a whole. In
Financial Aid we are a team of nine and our student population makes us a very
busy department. A short time ago we requested and were denied new positions because
upper management wanted to make sure we could get enrollment numbers back to
what they were before hiring any new counselors. Knowing no help could come
unless we could get caught up was a little overwhelming. Our goal was to finish
all verifications and package all students possible in order to prevent them
from being dropped from their classes and remained enrolled. Knowing that as a
team we needed to work together and get these certain tasks completed to give
our part to bring the numbers up was all we needed to hear. Today we are all
very caught up in all processing times. ERAU’s management found a way to “align
their people's objectives with their business strategy and then reward
individuals/teams for specific, measurable and quantifiable contributions to
these objectives” (Wartenberg, F. (2008). I am hoping that we will get our
positions approved after the numbers are calculated.
Going forward I have recognized that I need to create
more specific goals because my goals are all very broad such as go to graduate
school and graduate with distinction. I have started a short list of measurable
goals. I have shared my list with my husband and I am hoping that he can help
me remain accountable as I am working towards them giving me feedback along the
way. One of my goals is to get my daughter Olivia to sleep in her own room so
to start this we have moved her crib into our bedroom in the hopes we can at
least get her into her own bed. Another goal is to go to the gym to work on my
stress issues I face while working and going to school with a family. I have
joined a gym with my coworkers and started going at least twice a week. I am
hoping to stay motivated and I am also hooping I can continue make short term
goals for myself.
Brown, D. R.
(2011). An experiential approach to organization development (8th ed.). Boston:
Prentice Hall.
Tremaine, R.
(1997, Nov 30). Feedback critical to workplace success. Tulsa World.
Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/docview/399628801?accountid=27203
Wartenberg, F. (2008). The goal: Setting goals.
Pharmaceutical Executive Europe (Online), , 22-24. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/docview/198417181?accountid=27203
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