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Leadership Skills For
Child Care Professionals
Negative Feedback
Julie Bartkus
During a recent workshop, a
participant asked me: What if the feedback I get from my team is
negative?
Is getting negative feedback
from your team something you fear?
Does the thought of
distributing surveys to your staff about your leadership weaknesses
make you feel weak in the knees?
Do you think all they have to
say is negative stuff?
The main thing I encourage
leaders to think about from a business (non-personal issue)
perspective is:
Would you rather hear what
your team has to say and have the opportunity to make improvements?
Or –
Would you rather be closed to
their feedback and have them vent, complain, and gossip to anyone
(yes, the parents, each other, the lady at the grocery store, etc)
and everyone who is willing to listen?
Yes, feedback may be negative.
Yes, it may sting. However, it gives you the opportunity, as a
leader, to communicate with your team and make improvements for the
betterment of your organization. And as with most organizations I
work with, you will be pleasantly surprised by the positive feedback
you receive!
Soliciting your team for their
feedback is a skill that takes time to master and it is a skill that
will definitely help your organization reach new heights.