At the 2018 Women Leaders Forum, Shani Magosky, Owner/Founder, Vitesse Consulting, LLC/The Better Boss Project, shared her tips for “Uncorking Your Better Boss.” The focus of her presentation was how communicating ongoing and on-target feedback is important in all business relationships, whether they’re with employees, fellow attorneys, your boss, your firm’s marketing team, or even a client.
Shani used playful wine analogies to teach a simple, professional and repeatable model for giving effective feedback to others. She suggests that we learn to give feedback with:
- A smooth, well-balanced open structure
- Notes of active listening, transparency and timeliness
- A satisfying finish that serves to elevate performance and engagement
One of the big questions addressed in this session was: Should you ask for feedback? Shani believes that seeking feedback is always a best practice. Interestingly, she noted women almost always ask for it, men don’t.
When discussing the issue of giving feedback, Shani shared the acronym PINOT (like the wine), which stands for:
- P = Permission to give feedback; Ask if now is a good time
- I = Interactive listening and asking powerful questions
- N = No b.s.; Be authentic
- O = Often, timely and continuous feedback
- T = Say thanks when you get feedback
She also discussed the SIP model:
- S = Situation: Describe the behavior you observed and provide examples
- I = Impact: Describe the impact of what was communicated to the team/firm/client
- P = Possibility: Ask questions and offer ideas to help communication skills grow/develop
Definitely food for thought…accompanied by a glass of wine, of course!
