Forget The Sandwich Technique

Do you remember being told to use the "sandwich" technique when you needed to reprimand someone? Let me give you an example:

"Fred, I'm really pleased with how you've been progressing since you joined us and you're doing a great job. However you're not getting your reports in on time and we're missing deadlines. I'd like you to tighten up a bit on this. Anyway,thanks for all you've done so far and keep up the good work."

Have you ever said something along these lines? You probably needed Fred to sort out his reporting but you didn't want to upset or demoralise him. The only problem is that Fred may not get the message. The importance of it may be seriously diluted.

He may hear it as, "Fred, you're doing a brilliant job, you just need to sort out the reporting bit but it's not really that important."

What happens then is, Fred continues to fail with his reports.

The "sandwich" technique doesn't work, it lets you off the hook and it's mealy mouthed. Be direct with your people and they'll respect you more for it. You are also much more likely to get a change in behaviour.

If you are unhappy with some aspect of an employee's performance then you need to tell them so. The skill is in doing it in a way that's effective and doesn't lower the morale of the individual.

Firstly, it's not acceptable to speak to your people just when you're unhappy about something. Tell them the good news as well. As Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson say in their book The One Minute Manager - "Catch people doing something right" and tell them about it.

Some managers and employers still have this daft notion that if people are doing things right then that's what they're paid for and they don't need complimented. Ask almost any employee in Industries throughout the world and they'll tell you that they don't feel appreciated by their manager.

When you notice someone doing something you do like, tell them about it. When you notice them doing something you don't like, tell them about it. Whether it's good news or bad, the same rules apply.

Do it as soon as possible. Acknowledgement of a job well done is not much good six months later. Also, if you don't immediately call someone's attention to something you are not happy about, then they'll assume it's okay. Either that or they'll think you didn't notice or you don't care. Do it in private. Why is it that some managers still feel it's okay to reprimand someone in front of their colleagues? Even the mildest rebuke can have a negative effect on morale.

When you speak to the person use "I" messages. Say things like "I liked the way you did that" or "I think there is another way to do that."

Avoid "You" messages such as "You're doing great." That can come across as patronising or insincere. "You're doing that all wrong" may cause conflict, lower morale and may not sort the problem.

When your giving feedback, focus on one or two things. You'll only confuse the person if you run off a whole list of attributes or misdemeanours.

Be specific about job behaviour, focus on what the person did or didn't do, don't make a personal attack. Allow time for the message to sink in and allow the person to respond. You can then seek agreement as to what will happen in the future. If the person does not agree to take corrective action then you need to move to another level. When they do agree to take corrective action then make sure that you monitor it and give encouraging feedback.

Being direct with your people is better for you, better for them and better for you business, so save your "sandwiches" for lunchtime.

Discover how you can generate more business by motivating your team!

Alan Fairweather is the author of "How to get More Sales by Motivating Your Team" This book is packed with practical things you can do to get the best out of your people . Click here now =>http://www.howtogetmoresales.com/Witho ut%20Selling.htm

---

Google News Updated : Thu, 24 Jul 2008 06:51:44 GMT Pittsburgh Cancer Center Warns of Cell Phone Risks - ABC News China Daily Pittsburgh Cancer Center Warns of Cell Phone Risks ABC News - 6 hours ago By JENNIFER C. YATES and SETH BORENSTEIN AP Writers AP The head of a prominent cancer research institute issued an unprecedented warning to his faculty and staff Wednesday: Limit cell phone use because of the possible risk of cancer. Red alert! The cellphone warning has been issued Los Angeles Times Pittsburgh cancer center warns of cell phone risks The Associated Press DetNews.com - USA Today - Julie's Health Club - Chicago Tribune Blog all 436 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:01:03 GMT Dynamo top United at soggy RFK - MLS - Major League Soccer The Money Times Dynamo top United at soggy RFK MLS - Major League Soccer - 1 hour ago By Charles Boehm / MLSnet.com Staff WASHINGTON -- After two aborted tries on previous dates, DCUnited and the Houston Dynamo finally completed the first of their two league meetings on Wednesday night -- and some of Thursday morning, ... Mullan, Ching power Dynamo over DC United 2-0 Houston Chronicle Dynamo outlasts United despite lengthy delay Seattle Post Intelligencer The Canadian Press - FC Dallas - Washington Post - United Press International all 144 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 24 Jul 2008 05:07:00 GMT "X-Files" movie both satisfies and disappoints - Seattle Times "X-Files" movie both satisfies and disappoints Seattle Times - 50 minutes ago Mulder and Scully are together again in "X-Files: I Want to Believe." The story may be silly, but the agents' romance is compelling as ever. The X-Files: I Want to Believe AU Review IGN Scully have I loved Salon Daytona Beach News-Journal - The State - The Star-Ledger - NJ.com - Youngstown Vindicator all 557 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 24 Jul 2008 06:01:06 GMT Obama lavished with airtime -- and criticism - Los Angeles Times ABC News Obama lavished with airtime -- and criticism Los Angeles Times - 1 hour ago As the media moves to correct itself for glowing coverage of the Democrat, it's entering a period of shallow analysis. By ON THE MEDIA, JAMES RAINEY It seems like just about everybody has spent the last week beating up on the media for showering too ... Veterans group hits McCain on troop pullout The Associated Press 'Generation Gap' Widens in the 2008 Electorate Wall Street Journal Boston Globe - New York Times - CQPolitics.com - Right Pundits all 2,612 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 24 Jul 2008 05:43:11 GMT Oklahoma determined to have a strong finish - Fort Worth Star Telegram NCAAfootball.net Oklahoma determined to have a strong finish Fort Worth Star Telegram - 1 hour ago By MIKE JONES "Our whole mentality now is WTLG [win the last game]," Harris said Wednesday. "Come out and finish. It’s national championship or bust. Sooner, the better Topeka Capital Journal Players put success on Stoops Daily Camera SportingNews.com - Chicago Tribune - ESPN - Norman Transcript all 38 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 24 Jul 2008 05:03:29 GMT Bashir Visits Darfur, Pledges Sudan Will Protect Relief Workers - Bloomberg Voice of America Bashir Visits Darfur, Pledges Sudan Will Protect Relief Workers Bloomberg - 4 hours ago By Paul Tighe July 24 (Bloomberg) -- Sudan's President Umar al-Bashir, indicted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes in the Darfur conflict, visited the region yesterday and pledged to provide security for international relief ... Bashir returns to Darfur New York Times How Sudan Was Brought to Court TIME The Press Association - The Epoch Times - Voice of America - Times Online all 1,663 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 24 Jul 2008 02:39:29 GMT Powerful quake injures 92 in Japan - CNN Boston Globe Powerful quake injures 92 in Japan CNN - 2 hours ago (CNN) -- A strong earthquake injured 92 people and destroyed 31 buildings in northern Japan on Thursday, authorities said. People at an auto dealership in Karumai, Japan, clean up glass shards after a strong earthquake Thursday. Japan's North Hit by Magnitude-6.8 Quake; 95 Injured (Update3) Bloomberg Powerful earthquake hits Japan, dozens injured The Associated Press Jerusalem Post - Reuters - AFP all 766 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 24 Jul 2008 04:51:37 GMT RSS Parser Increase Search Engine Traffic

PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts, Websites, and more...

Adsense websites

Hiring Productive Employees: A Checklist for Assessing Their Appeal

The characteristics of job applicants have a strong influence on... Read More

Communication: Managements Responsibility

I've just watched, again, an episode in the Back to... Read More

Creativity and Innovation - Large Firms Versus Small Firms

There is a pervasive assumption that small firms are more... Read More

Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: Providing Career Opportunity

This article relates to the Career Opportunity competency, commonly evaluated... Read More

Stop Waste, Fraud and Abuse

Each year, businesses write-off six percent of revenue to waste,... Read More

Group Discussion Guidelines

DISCUSSION METHODS: There are two basic types of discussion methods;... Read More

Eight Skills of Highly Successful Consultants

With deference to Dr. Covey and his very popular Seven... Read More

10 Ways To Work Through A Business Slowdown

In running any kind of business, it's inevitable that sometimes... Read More

The Higher You Go

The higher you go, the cooler it becomes. Really? Let... Read More

Six Sigma Training 101 ? Better Management Basics

What is Six Sigma?Six Sigma is a quality management program... Read More

Keep Your Good Workers by Building Good Leaders

A recent report from the American Hospital Association's Commission on... Read More

ISO 9001 Registration ? 8 Steps for Success

You've made the plans, built the quality system and conducted... Read More

Want to Manage Your Time? Get Real!

You know the drill - the ridiculous deadlines, the relentless... Read More

Hiring Great People And How to Be One Yourself: Five Secrets

Bad news.Your senior vice-president, your marketing director or your accounting... Read More

Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: Training is in the Eye of the Beholder

This article relates to the Training competency, commonly evaluated in... Read More

Increasing Employee Retention Through Employee Engagement

You've seen it happen many times. An organization that provides... Read More

The Top Six Reasons to Buy Rather Than Build an Inventory Management Solution

Is building your own inventory management solution really your best... Read More

Selecting Top Talent: Improve Your Batting Average

I recently gave a presentation to a group of business... Read More

The Art of Motivation and Need Fulfillment

Industrial/clinical psychology and applied psychiatry have made tremendous strides in... Read More

Before You Head Off, Make Sure You Know Where You Are Going - The Importance of Clear Objectives.

The title of this article sounds like simple advice, but... Read More

New Leadership For A New War

Military analysts call this "asymmetrical" war (as if war has... Read More

How to Delegate Effectively

ACCOUNTABILITY: Delegation is not complete unless subordinates are held accountable... Read More

Holding Effective Meetings Can Be Easier than You Think!

I'm sure you've experienced those typical "headache" meetings! You know... Read More

Basic Management Skills

Recent studies have shown that industrial supervisors are working at... Read More

Challenge of ERP Implementation: Q and A with Rick Maurer

Question: ERPs seem like a good idea, so why is... Read More