Feed forward instead of feedback
In my personal life, if I meet a friend for a cup of coffee, we're good. We catch up, touch base and go on as friends. Unfortunately, peer relationships at the corporate level go way beyond sharing a cup of coffee. In the workplace, peer relationships can turn adversarial as colleagues strive for limited resources in a competitive marketplace. Building strong peer relationships will not only help the organization be strong, it will help employees get the cooperation and collaboration they will ultimately require to do their jobs.
| So why is it so difficult for peers in an organization, with a common goal of increased productivity or better results, to get along? |
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In today's economy, no single employee can know everything about all the topics covered in their day. They need peers to help keep pace with the way the work day moves. One CEO tells his people that they should double their performance every twelve months-he calls it "Exponential Economy." In order to do this, employees need to leverage their knowledge. But that alone will not get the job done. They need to have access to their peers' ideas and optimize all these thoughts and ideas to really make this a reality.
So why is it so difficult for peers in an organization, with a common goal of increased productivity or better results, to get along? Where do the relationships breakdown in this fast-paced, high tech world?
Believe it or not, the "disconnect" is that when it comes to relationships, corporations need to return to the basics. It's the same old things that cause employees problems with their peers: "She didn't listen to what he said." "He didn't respect his ideas." "They didn't look at the project from our point-of view." "She does not understand how we do it here."
So at the risk of returning to a simpler time, here are the basics:
- Use active listening with colleagues, paraphrase to make sure the understanding is shared.
- Avoid locking into one position. When working with peers, it is important to be open to many different solutions and ideas.
- Avoid hidden agendas.
- Use "I" message when sharing information that has confused or upset you.
- "Feed forward" instead of feedback. Share with employees how to do a better job in the future rather than dwelling on the past. This keeps the group moving into the future.
- Keep flexible with peers about receiving suggestions and criticism-remember that it is not personal but rather for the good of a project or team.
In the global workplace peer relationships make the difference between success and failure. They are the difference between keeping pace and lagging behind. Don't let a misunderstanding or hurt feelings derail a potential success. Offer to meet for coffee; you will gain more than a buddy.
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