Ex-Man United CEO Says Offices Should Copy Sport's Feedback Speed

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Athletes cannot wait for an annual review to find out how they performed, and that may be a good thing. Peter Kenyon, the former CEO of Manchester United and Chelsea, says office workers could learn from the way sport handles feedback.

Waiting in suspense for a list of criticisms can sometimes feel worse than hearing them, and stale feedback may matter less. Kenyon told Business Insider that sports schedules force a different approach. When something goes wrong, it has to be fixed before the next event, which is often only days away. "It's not 'let's work for three months to solve the problem,'" he said. "No, let's solve the problem now because we go again tomorrow."

A feedback loop measured in minutes

Kenyon has worked in the sports industry for nearly 30 years and led major restructurings along the way. He now serves as a board advisor for the Atlassian Williams F1 team, where he oversees the commercial and marketing functions. The industry, he said, taught him to keep a continuous, instantaneous feedback loop.

He pointed to Formula 1 drivers, who sit down with engineers as soon as they finish a session on track. The conversation helps them improve their chances of qualifying for a race later that day or the next.

Feedback in high-performing sports settings does not only flow from the top down, Kenyon said. Employees are also expected to tell one another when something is not working. That expectation shapes the culture across the industry, and it shows in how athletes expect new teammates to meet the same high bar they set for themselves.

It is an industry standard off the field too. At Manchester United, Kenyon recalled, the receptionist would call out players who failed to greet her when they walked in. "The power of that is incredible," he said of the former employee.

Candid, not cruel

Frequent and candid feedback does not amount to a bullying culture, Kenyon said. Managing people and delivering performance reviews is difficult, but the best coaches know when to push athletes and when to build them up.

"It's continual change," he said. "It's continual strive-for-performance gains."

Office staff do not take part in televised contests. Still, the report notes, they work through demanding sprints in a workplace that keeps changing. Some companies are reworking the usual performance review so that ongoing feedback comes first and top performers are rewarded.

Source: Business Insider