LEARNING JOURNAL WK 2
As noted in this week’s textbook chapter, employees are happier when they receive regular
feedback (Carpenter, Bauer, & Erdogan, 2010). Feedback takes many forms, but one of the
most obvious types is feedback on performance. Managers must be able to give employees
feedback on what they are doing well and areas where an employee needs to improve. Think
about times in your career when you have received feedback. Consider if the feedback was
specific, meaningful, relevant, and timely. Write a response that includes the following:
1. Share an example of a time when you received effective feedback that helped you
improve your performance. What made that feedback helpful? Was it specific,
meaningful, relevant, and/or timely? Discuss if you identify any other factors like the
feedback provider’s personality, his/her value, or the situation that impacted your
reaction/attitude towards the feedback process?
2. Share an example of a time when you received feedback that was not helpful. What
made that feedback ineffective? Did it lack specificity, meaningfulness, relevance, and/or
timeliness? Discuss if you identify any other factors like the feedback provider’s
personality, his/her value, or the situation that impacted your reaction/attitude towards
the feedback process?
3. As an aspiring manager, how could you use these lessons to improve the feedback you
give employees?
Submission Instructions
Create an essay addressing the questions asked and the items below:
1. The structure of your essay must be logical and cohesive. Paragraph sequencing must
aid smooth transition of ideas and thoughts. The sentence construct should be brief and
to the point. The overall flow of the essay, from the introduction to the conclusion,
should be seamless to enhance assimilation. If you are new to drafting essays, here is a
quick link from LRC (Learning Resource Center) that you can refer: LRC-Essay Writing.
2. Your essay should be at least 750 words in length and not more than 1500 words.
Support your arguments using references from textbooks and instruction materials. Use
APA citations and references for any sources used in the essay. Here is a quick link to
learn about writing with APA
Reference
Carpenter, M., Bauer, T., & Erdogan, B. (2010). Management principles, v.
1.1. https://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/management-principles-v1.1/index.html.
ANSWER
Feedback is a very important component or aspect of communication between an employer and
the employee(s). Feedback is usually a response given as a result of a given instruction.
Through feedback, employers get to know if some given specific instructions are carried out or
not. Feedback can either be positive or negative
Feedback can help boost an employee's morale when it is positive and also on the other hand
demoralize them.
Below are some situations where feedback has brought about a meaningful change in attitude
and general work place behaviour.
1. I have also had my own share of getting a boost or being encouraged as a result of positive
feedback. I learned the art of fixing car air conditioning system under the tutelage of a man
whom I would say is hard to impress. You must have to do something to greatly impress him to
for to get a thumbs up from him. On that day, a new car system was brought to our workshop
which I have never worked on before, and since he wasn't around, I had to wait, and so was
the car owner. Seeing he would delay a little much longer, he called me and asked what the
complaint was with the car and I told him, them he gave me specific instructions on how to
have it fixed. I must confess that I was nervous, seeing I was given the responsibility of fixing
the car, and he did this have faith in my ability that I can have it done. I didn't want to
disappoint that faith he had in me. I worked on the car and had it fixed accurately, even beyond
my boss' expectations. When he returned and saw what I had done, he was so impressed with
the work that he gave me positive remarks and a pat on the shoulder for a job well done. What
made the feedback helpful was that it spoke directly on my ability to get a job done on my own
even without anyone around to assist me. Although he may or may not have known that that
event that day helped boost my confidence in myself, that I can do those things I thought I
couldn't, maybe as a result of the fact that I haven't tried it before, based on the art I was
learning at the time. This had a positive effect in me, even beyond the art I was learning,
because after that work, I thought myself not to run away from challenges, especially work
related once and also challenges of life in general. I have carried that with me always and it has
been of help to me in my endeavors. My boss is not easily impressed but with that positive
feedback, I knew I had impressed him.
2. There are times when feedbacks are not helpful, but rather, it demoralizes one and can even
bring self confidence very low.
There was a case situation where a car was brought to the workshop to be fix, this time I
wasn't the only one around, my other fellow apprentices were around too, except for the boss.
We called him and complained to him what we saw in the car. He gave us instructions in what
to do and we set off with work, but unfortunately we couldn't get the air conditioning system
fixed. We had to leave it and wait for the boss to come see things for himself. When he got
back and saw what we did and how far we got with the work, he couldn't hid his displeasure,
he started lashing out on us. This demoralized us, me especially. Then he called us all around
and had the car fixed. Some of us didn't watch him fix it some others wore a frowning face all
through the day. That he scolded us was not the problem, but he did it in a way not intended to
correct and improve us. This was because the feedback lacked specificity. He didn't even tell us
exactly where we got it wrong so we would take correction, and it was unlike him. It was later I
learned that someone greatly upset earlier, and so he got it out on us.
3. As an aspiring manager, I learned from those experience that I should never hesitate to give
positive feedback and encouragement to my employees when they are on the right track and to
also give a them constructive criticism when they are off the track, as this will help them
improve. I also learned not to vent out my frustrations on my employees because that is a
morale killer.