TOASA > Timely, Objective, Accurate, Specific, Actionable

Feedback - First ingredient in my secret sauce

I am often asked what my secret sauce is that has helped my ongoing success.  Providing Feedback is one of the key elements of my success.  I use TOASA to help me remember the key elements each time I plan to give Feedback, which is almost always.

TOASA = Results

Why do some teams perform at high levels with a positive culture, and loyalty to their leader? The largest reason - Feedback! 

These are the five key elements to giving great feedback!

Timely          Feedback given while still memorable

Objective     Be fair, unbiased, unprejudiced 

Accurate      Avoid minimizing or exaggerating, be correct 

Specific        Be detailed, Precise; Avoid generalities

Actionable  Provide suggestions, solutions, options

I remember them with the acronym TOASA > Timely, Objective, Accurate, Specific, & Actionable.

These five elements are especially critical when giving corrective (negative) feedback; however, I believe that it is important when providing reinforcing (positive) feedback as well.

If you cannot provide the five elements, ask yourself if the feedback really needs to be given at all. 

If an employee is late; don’t talk to them two weeks later. Talk to them within a day, and be Objective, Accurate, Specific and Actionable. For example, “John, I noticed you were 12 minutes late this morning for your 10 am shift. It is important that everyone start at their scheduled time, and you need to make sure you adjust so that you are ready to start each shift on time.” AVOID, “John, you have been late at least three times that i know of in the past week. Jane, Bob, and Mary are always ready to start on time. Why can’t you?” Stick to TOASA > Timely, Objective, Accurate, Specific, & Actionable.

Of coarse, there are the other keys to feedback that we have learned before:

- Praise Publicly, Criticize Privately

- Balance corrective feedback with positive when possible

We all start out wanting to perform well, and public praise keeps us motivated to perform at our highest levels. When people are criticized in from of others, they become hesitant and afraid to act at all. Ultimately, they become discouraged and leave.

Balanced feedback is easy when practiced, and especially important with new employees. “Jane, I appreciate your enthusiasm in putting up the chairs and mopping the floor, but we don’t start closing for another hour. Let me show you our checklist with timelines for closing activities. There are tasks we can start now in order to have more time later to do the floors.”

When these elements are followed your team will consistently know where they stand. There are no surprises at review time and the morale of your team will be positive and loyal. Great feedback builds trust, empowerment of employees, and ongoing improvement/development of your team.