Jeannie Moravits Smith Of Dynamism Leadership: Giving Feedback; How To Be Honest Without Being Hurtful
An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
Keep an open mind. Make it a practice to start each feedback meeting with an open mind; do not make assumptions. Come prepared with many questions such as, “What do you believe might get in your way of achieving this goal moving forward?” Once you ask a question, stop talking, be quiet, and let the other person answer. Now is the time to gather information. Most leaders are surprised by the amount of information they gather when they stop talking and just listen.
As a part of our series about “How To Give Honest Feedback without Being Hurtful”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jeannie Moravits Smith.
Jeannie Moravits Smith is America’s Leadership Advisor, who creates breakthrough experiences from the inside out, allowing her clients to increase positive intent & productivity, energy, alignment, connection, and engagement with themselves and others. She is the founder and CEO of Dynamism Leadership, formerly HR-Rx, a Leadership Coaching and Consulting firm established in 2005. Prior to establishing her own firm, she held executive leadership roles at a variety of organizations. Now with over three decades of experience, Jeannie has helped thousands of leaders learn how to energetically build their dream teams to earn massive profits. She is an international best seller and award-winning author, speaker, strategic advisor, coach, and consultant. Jeannie holds certifications in Leadership Coaching, Energy Leadership, & Human Management, as well as a Master of Science degree in Human Resources. She and her team at Dynamism Leadership are passionate about making the world a better place by putting an end to unhealthy workplace culture — in turn, creating environments where all staff members feel seen, heard, and included. As a result, their clients experience incredible savings in time, expenses, and energy. They are a team of experienced, educated, and energetic, fun individuals who know how to make things happen and intend to impact workplace change by their interactions with one leader at a time.
Thank you so much for joining us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?
During my undergraduate study, I stumbled across several human-centric courses. Not only did I really enjoy them, but the work was also extremely easy and interesting to me. This is when I discovered my passion for being the bridge between managers and employees, as well as between problems and solutions. I spent decades as a Human Resources leader in various companies across a wide variety of industries. I have helped leaders build organizations, define, and enhance their corporate culture, orchestrate mergers & acquisitions, and learn how to be authentically resilient. In 2004, I had an opportunity to move from San Diego to San Francisco to continue employment with a well-known software company, but decided to pass, as I had recently moved my mom across the country to be closer to me. Another move would not have been good for her. While contemplating my next career move, I made the decision to start my own company and in 2005, founded HR-Rx, now Dynamism Leadership, where my incredible team and I help leaders build their dream teams to earn massive profits.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
Authenticity is hands-down the number one reason Dynamism Leadership stands out. The saying, “What you see is what you get” stands true for me, the CEO of Dynamism Leadership, and a must for anyone who joins our team. We have created an environment where all are included, everyone feels they can share their thoughts and feelings. As a result, we are a dynamic team of leadership and human resources coaches and consultants that partner with business leader to create and retain their dream team so they can earn massive profits.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
The most interesting story about something that happened to me since I started my career is when my core values were being compromised. It was a regular occurrence, but the day I stood up for myself, while risking my job might be the most interesting. I had climbed the corporate ladder, had been promoted to Vice President of Human Resources, and was asked to partake in my first board meeting. I remember it like it was yesterday: as I entered the room, a senior board member asked me, the youngest and only female in the room, to get him some coffee. I had seconds to decide how I was going to respond, and I’m still thrilled that I handled it the way I did. Not only did I not get fired but I gained the respect of the individual asking for coffee, as well as the rest of the team. I encourage all of those with whom I partner to stand up for what they believe in, especially in defense of their own personal core values.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
There are many mistakes I have made in my career, and I have learned something from each one of them. The one that gets quite a few laughs when I tell it, therefore making it the funniest, is the time I was in a series of meetings with many different leaders of an organization. During what was supposed to be a quick bio-break, I decided to take the stairs instead of the elevator and got locked in the stairwell. I was not able to get out of the stairwell nor could anyone hear me trying to get their attention through the little window in the door. I did not have my phone with me and had completely run out of options. The team thought either something bad happened to me in the restroom or I had ghosted them. I just sat down and laughed until an employee finally made the decision to take the stairs and discovered my locked-up self.
I ended up landing the project. The team and I laughed about it for years. Now I never let a door close behind me in a stairwell unless I have a resource, such as a key card, to get out and I always proactively communicate my plans to take the stairs just in case. It was a great lesson learned and one that brought much lighthearted joking for quite some time.
What advice would you give to other CEOs and business leaders to help their employees to thrive and avoid burnout?
I’m a true believer in asking valuable questions to reach the underlying issues that are the sources of all problems. This type of leadership can be termed “the coaching leader,” and is where the leader plays the role like a coach of a sports team. Their goal is to have all players showcase their zone of genius to better the team’s overall performance. When leaders have the same mindset about workplace leadership, they are amazed at the results. It starts with leaders getting to know their staff members and asking questions, genuinely caring what the individuals have to say. Getting to know employees helps the manager understand when something seems off and when they are not showing up as their regular selves. I have learned quite a bit over the last three decades in my human centric career and several thoughts come to mind. I’ll start with trust, something that is so important in any relationship, including the professional work relationships we all have. Once trust is established, employees will begin to feel comfortable enough to tell the truth, rather than what they believe their managers want to hear. That said, my number one piece of advice I give to other CEOs and business leaders seeking to help their employees thrive and avoid burnout, is to learn how to be trusted and to be able to trust those that you work with.
How do you define “Leadership”? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?
A common definition of Leadership is the art of motivating a group or people to act toward achieving a common goal. In a business setting, this can mean directing employees and colleagues with a strategy to meet the company’s needs. I support this definition but will add that in addition to leadership being an art of motivating others, it is the skills and mindset learned by leaders that helps others self-motivate, which is key to sustainable change. I define leadership not just as a title, but how an individual or a team shows up for others. Strong leaders have the knowledge, skills, abilities, and mindset that others want to follow.
In my work, I often talk about how to release and relieve stress. As a busy leader, what do you do to prepare your mind and body before a stressful or high stakes meeting, talk, or decision? Can you share a story or some examples?
Learning what stresses me and how to release the stress has been a life saver. Let’s go back in time to December 2017, I was acting as if I were wonder woman and could take on the world. My mind was full speed ahead and felt I wasn’t able to say, “no.” I hit the wall as fast as a freight train. I look back on that time as a learning experience where my body was going to stop the insanity no matter what. Since then, I have learned that I have to say, “no” in order to say, “yes” to what I really need and want. This is called establishing boundaries.
Before a stressful or high stakes meeting, conversation or decision, I always take a deep breath and do some positive self-talk: “Remember what I did when _________?” Or “Remember the time when __________?” Since I show up authentically every day, I just take one last deep breath and show up knowing I’ve got this and so much more. I know a thing or two because I’ve seen a thing or two. Companies have said that I believe and share my knowledge, skills and abilities. I am the bridge between managers and leaders, and I sit comfortably between problems and solutions. I’ve got this and so much more, AND so do you! The way we show up for one thing is the way we show up for all things. Make it count! Every conversation is important to me and the person I’m meeting with or talking to, as well as when I’m making a decision, I always keep others in mind. When we stop to make sure all stakeholders are present when a decision needs to be made, we are actually relieving stress and saving time.
Ok, let’s jump to the core of our interview. Can you briefly tell our readers about your experience with managing a team and giving feedback?
Feedback does not have to be a bad thing and when we flip our perspective of feedback to viewing it as the process of providing “construction criticism,” it becomes easier. Let’s face it, nobody loves to communicate bad news, and I believe there is an art to it. When we continually treat the recipient with dignity and respect, we are able to respectfully communicate areas of concern without triggering an emotional response. I have often been the first and only person to ever tell someone news. If it is our responsibility to provide feedback, then we should show empathy and communicate what needs to change, as well as conveying why it needs to change.
This might seem intuitive, but it will be constructive to spell it out. Can you share with us a few reasons why giving honest and direct feedback is essential to being an effective leader?
Being honest and direct with all communication, especially when providing feedback about areas in need of self-improvement, is critical to the success of the individual, as well as the manager who is relaying the message. Effective and efficient leadership doesn’t exist when we are not communicating feedback directly and in a manner for which the recipient walks away knowing exactly what happened and what needs to change moving forward. When we are not direct in our communication, we are wasting time for everyone involved. If something is broken, state the obvious, “the project seems to have broken somewhere during the middle of last week; what do you think happened?” Then, after asking an open-ended question, be quiet and listen to what you are hearing. Also listen to what isn’t being said. When people trust one another, they are more likely to share honestly. Trust is the foundation of all effective leadership. When leaders are honest with both good and bad news, the foundation of trust is established.
One of the trickiest parts of managing a team is giving honest feedback, in a way that doesn’t come across as too harsh. Can you please share with us five suggestions about how to best give constructive criticism to a remote employee? Kindly share a story or example for each.
Constructive criticism CAN BE COMUNICATED without coming across as being too harsh.
- Learn the history. The first thing I do when I have to the opportunity to communicate feedback is find out if the recipient has been informed of this before. If so, then I find out when and how the feedback was communicated. I like to remind myself of the previous incidents and have the facts to share with the recipient. If this were the first time someone was hearing the news, I would start by reflecting on the goals that were set up for the project. I would reference what the employee and I had agreed upon. “Hi Mary, it has been brought to my attention that the XYZ project is falling behind; what do you think is going on?” I would let her share her knowledge, and then I would ask her if she remembered what we had agreed to do. I would ask her what her plans are for getting back on track and what she need from me to make it happen. If her answer were, “I just didn’t do it,” I would ask her, “Why not?” It comes down to having an open, trustworthy relationship where the two of us can have a frank conversation about what is happening, and then brainstorm on how to remedy the situation.
- Stick to the facts. Take the person out of the equation and focus on the facts. Here is an example: On January 8th, we discussed how important it is to the team for you be on time every day. I have the follow-up email right here where you replied with how much you agree, and your plan for correcting the behavior in the future. You mentioned that you were going to start using your alarm to make sure you get up with enough time to start work on time every day. Since then, you have showed up late 3 more times. To support the mission of the entire team doing what it takes to make it happen, we need you to be here on time and contributing your share. I need you to know that this is your final warning. The next incident will be grounds for termination. What questions do you have?”
- Keep an open mind. Make it a practice to start each feedback meeting with an open mind; do not make assumptions. Come prepared with many questions such as, “What do you believe might get in your way of achieving this goal moving forward?” Once you ask a question, stop talking, be quiet, and let the other person answer. Now is the time to gather information. Most leaders are surprised by the amount of information they gather when they stop talking and just listen.
- Lead all correspondence as a high integrity coach and be empathic to understand the issues the recipient shares with you. When we acknowledge and validate the feelings of others, they feel heard which, is key to creating a relationship of connection where speaking the truth respectfully is welcomed.
- Take thorough notes as reference to look back on and follow-up regularly. I always recommend that leaders follow-up, in writing, to all important feedback sessions.
If the feedback is coming as a grand surprise to the individual, then the leaders should ask themselves “Why?” Leadership should be poking holes in process and project along the way, peering in to ensure everything is going as planned, and when they discover otherwise, they should ask “why?”
Can you address how to give constructive feedback over email? If someone is in front of you much of the nuance can be picked up in facial expressions and body language. But not when someone is remote. How do you prevent the email from sounding too critical or harsh?
I recommend a phone call or on-line meeting, followed up with an email, highlighting the phone call or on-line meeting conversation. I do not recommend anyone be blindsided with feedback in an email.
In your experience, is there a best time to give feedback or critique? Should it be immediately after an incident? Should it be at a different time? Should it be at set intervals? Can you explain what you mean?
Based on my experience, the best time to give feedback or a critique is immediately, or as soon as possible after the incident. This is the best time as it is fresh in both parties’ minds allowing examples and areas of improvement to be addressed while the feelings are still fresh. That said, the leader should most definitely take a moment to compose their thoughts and get them out of their head, perhaps on to a piece of paper, so they can speak from their heart with compassion and empathy.
How would you define what it is to “be a great boss”? Can you share a story?
I define a great boss as someone who takes the time to know their staff, as someone who cares enough to make a connection. A great boss is not afraid to communicate good and bad news directly. I’m fortunate to have been led by several great bosses as well as being told that I am one. My great bosses learned who I was and why I do what I do; they learned what makes me tick and what ticked me off. They gladly communicated about their open-door policy and stood by their commitment to be there for me when I needed them. I had the honor of managing a team of professionals who, together, were able to move mountains to achieve amazing results. I owe my “great boss” notoriety from learning what not to do from the not so good communicators and what to do from my great role model bosses and mentors.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
At Dynamism Leadership, we are passionate about making the world a better place by putting an end to low performance workplaces and creating environments where all staff members feel seen, heard, and included. We are a team of highly experienced, educated, and energetically fun individuals who know how to make things happen and intend to continue to impact workplace change through our interactions with one leader at a time.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“You can change anything you set your mind to.” It is all possible. My entire life, I have been challenged with obstacles, several life threatening. When told by others it was impossible, I found a way to make it happen. I continually approach each new day with a “glass half full” approach and know each day that “If there is a will, there is a way!” I have so many examples of how this life lesson has supported my success. Once I was told that I could not move the human resources function out of the corporate office and outsource it. I said, “Why not? Anything is possible.”
How can our readers further follow your work online?
https://www.dynamismleadership.com
https://www.linkedin/jeanniemoravitsmith
https://www.instagram/jeanniesmith777
Thank you for these great insights! We really appreciate the time you spent with this.
