If Your Feedback Zone is Charger…

If your feedback zone is in the Charger corner, you have an eagle eye on the target and know exactly how to pursue it.

Raising the bar and swinging the bat

Chargers have high standards and expect strong results. So, it’s no surprise that their feedback style is bolder than most. When Chargers observe something that requires course correction, they are quick to point it out with the intention of driving results in the right direction.

However, the Charger’s feedback is often experienced as criticism and sometimes as an attack, because there is little effort by the Charger to gain the team member’s understanding of a performance problem and its effects on business results. Employees working under a Charger leader will benefit from far more frequent feedback that includes time for give-and-take clarification so that the employee fully understands what will help them knock those goals out of the park.

“Drive-by” feedback

Rarely desiring a full conversation, the Charger may make quick, one-way remarks, expecting others to get the point and act immediately. The Charger is personally focused on high performance and thinks that team members are letting down the team if they don’t automatically perform to the high standard—even if the impatient Charger hasn’t clarified that standard. A Charger’s team members may feel too vulnerable to ask their boss for help or guidance.

Locating the Charger’s pain

Chargers don’t like failure. They really don’t like it. When a team comes up short or delivers substandard results, the Charger registers the event as a personal and sees their own neck on the line. They are hard on themselves too, requiring high standards of everyone on the team.

Chargers don’t like to see things go wrong, and they’ll do whatever is necessary to make sure the job runs smoothly. If Chargers observe an employee behaving in a way that appears to threaten success (by proxy, their own personal image), they will not hesitate to zoom in on the error in order to resolve the situation.

Possible risks from inside the Charger belief zone

1. Team members feel as if they are being held to impossible standards and aren’t being coached about how to meet them

2. Feedback may be overly critical and create an unpleasant work atmosphere

3. Chargers may not see the need to combine feedback with two-way communication and development

4. Chargers often lack the patience or skills to actively listen to ideas that will lead the team to greater successl.

5. Feedback is quick and may not include details and examples that will help team members meet expectations.

6. The Charger’s fear of failure may become a reality if people avoid their Charger boss and feedback discussions never happen.

Beliefs worth challenging if you are a Charger

Understanding where to adjust these beliefs will go a long way in helping you avoid the pitfalls of the Charger belief zone. Developing relationships via two-way conversations with people will increase the chances you will see actual improvements. Creating an environment where people feel free to ask questions and try out new ideas will lead to greater “control” over your goals because there will be so many more people caring about results. Spending time getting to know each direct report will help you pinpoint where you can best help them and increase the chances that they will share their own ideas for how the team can improve.