Meet the Speaker!

Gurleen Baruah is founder of That Culture Thing, a management consulting firm led by business psychologists, marketers, and academicians, aimed at helping organizations be significantly more efficient, effective, and financially profitable using Human Capital.

Connect with Gurleen: LinkedIn

How to ask for feedback from employees? Key takeaways –

Receiving feedback is essential for professional growth for everyone in an organization, regardless of their position in the hierarchy. Feedback helps individuals improve and take their performance to the next level. For managers, this is important because they work with people and impact careers of others too. Your performance is not just your own!

Psychological safety is critical for giving and receiving feedback. Your team may not feel safe giving unsolicited feedback to you due to fear of retribution or not knowing if you are receptive. As a manager, it becomes your task to be pro-active and create a space for safe dialogue and exchange of feedback.

There are three common triggers that cause defensiveness when receiving feedback: Truth triggers (disagreement on facts), relationship triggers (focusing on the giver rather than the content), and identity triggers (taking feedback personally). Understanding these triggers will help you in giving and receiving constructive feedback from your team effectively.

Managers need to be self-aware and open to feedback, which can help them identify their blind spots and become better leaders. They should be humble and curious rather than defensive.

Building a feedback culture involves shifting from a top-down approach to peer-to-peer feedback, encouraging a culture of asking for feedback rather than just giving it. Regular, real-time, informal communication is more effective than annual feedback.

Managers should focus on the future when giving feedback and move away from rehashing past mistakes. They should also actively listen to understand the core message in feedback and filter out the noise.

Maturity plays a role in how feedback is received. Younger professionals may be more defensive due to the development of their prefrontal cortex, which is related to logical thinking and decision-making. So, your lesson in how to ask for feedback from your team also needs to focus on where your team members are coming from. There reasons of not giving feedback vary a lot.

Meet the Host

Ashish is an entrepreneur tackling workplace development challenges through Risely, an AI copilot that helps managers and leaders build essential people skills.

Drawing on his experience in technology and organizational behavior, he’s passionate about creating scalable solutions that transform how companies develop their talent. His mission is to empower leaders to build thriving teams and sustainable organizational success.

Connect: LinkedIn

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How to build and retain high performing employees? | Laletha Nithiyanandan

Are you really an HR if you have not spent hours chasing the ideal high performing employees for your team? We are willing to bet you won’t feel legit without doing it. But what if, perpetual high performance was a myth after all? In conversation with Laletha Nithiyanandan from BoP Hub, we uncover the truth of 10x employees. We’ll primary discuss:

What are the misconceptions around the idea of “10x employees” or high-performing individuals?1 The speakers discuss the problematic tendency to rank and classify individuals, focusing on top and bottom performers while neglecting the majority, and the misconception that individual brilliance is the key to success. They challenge the idea that some people are inherently 10x and advocate for focusing on team performance instead.
What defines a high-performing team and how can managers foster it? The speakers discuss what constitutes a high-performing team, emphasizing that it’s not just about individual performance but also about teamwork, shared values, and the ability to function well even without direct supervision. They also touch on the importance of hiring people who complement each other’s skills and perspectives.
How can managers effectively support team members who are not consistently high performers, and avoid the pitfalls of overworking and micromanaging? The discussion covers how to manage performance fluctuations, the importance of coaching and feedback, and how to understand the underlying reasons for dips in performance. They highlight the danger of assuming that all employees are driven by the same goals or that pushing for high performance is always beneficial and the importance of self-reflection from managers

Watch Now: How do you build 10x employees?

Meet the Speaker!

Laletha is the Executive Director at BoP, where she focuses on helping leaders build their dream teams. She facilitates sustainable development for people managers by combining behavioral science with practical leadership and management practices.

Connect with Laletha: LinkedIn

Key takeaways to read before you start building high performing employees…

Individuals are not machines: The term “10x employee” is problematic because it treats people like machines, overlooking their emotions and personal challenges.
Team performance is paramount: High performance is more about the team than the individual. Focusing on individual “stars” can create toxicity and neglect the majority of the team.
Performance is not linear: Performance fluctuates, and managers should be comfortable with this. It is important to understand the reasons for changes in performance and support the individual. As managers, we end up setting unfair expectations from high performing employees and resultantly fail them when they need support.
Managers should focus on coaching and development: High performing employees are not dropped out of thin air. You have a key part in building them as a manager. Instead of focusing solely on results, managers should coach their team members, provide constructive feedback, and empower them to take initiative.
Effective communication is key: Short, frequent, and informal conversations are more impactful than long, formal reviews. You should ask good questions that empower your team and give them opportunities to shine.
Understanding individual needs is crucial: Not everyone is motivated by the same things. Some people are happy with a stable job and work-life balance. Managers should respect these differences.
Managers need self-awareness and self-care: Managers need to reflect on their own behaviors and be aware of their biases. As a manager, you should practice self-care and avoid transferring your stress to your teams

Meet the Host!

Ashish is an entrepreneur tackling workplace development challenges through Risely, an AI copilot that helps managers and leaders build essential people skills.

Connect: LinkedIn

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