Being candid is a part of life at Land & Wave. It’s a big part of how we work and help each other; it helps us improve day-to-day and be excellent at what we do.

What does this mean?

What the dictionary says

‘Candid’ – Truthful and straight-forward, frank

What this means at Land & Wave

Show your colleagues respect by giving well-timed, open, considerate feedback.

Let’s break that down…

RESPECT Your colleagues deserve straight-forward feedback to help them improve what they do.

WELL TIMED Don’t criticise someone in front of a group or in the heat of the moment. Don’t sit on something that concerns you, don’t let a problem or frustration about something build up. Choose the right time and place to talk things through. Be polite, direct and sincere. DO NOT gripe or whinge.

OPEN Leave doors open whenever possible. No secrets. Minimal British reserve. Admit when you’ve made mistakes so we can all learn.

CONSIDERATE Being candid does not necessitate being brash, harsh or insensitive. Feedback should always be considered and compassionate.

FEEDBACK

PRAISE – DEVELOPMENT – SUGGESTIONS – ‘SLIP-UP’ AWARENESS. (Don’t forget the PRAISE)

Sometimes it feels a bit awkward to tell someone that they’ve done something really well; that you’re really impressed – Do it anyway! Everyone likes to be told they’re amazing every now and again (only if it’s sincere though).

Receiving  feedback well takes lots of practice. To learn from honest, compassionate criticism is a skill that takes time to develop but (we think) is essential.

Why is it important to be Candid?

• It avoids confusion and misunderstandings that can lead to mistakes and poor customer experience
• It allows better personal development – how else can we learn?
• It allows creativity and innovation to flow (it works for Pixar!)

A few examples of excellent candid behaviour at Land & Wave…

• People being open in staff meetings about things they’ve done poorly
• Staff being upfront about denting/ scratching vehicles (and not being punished for doing so!)
• Junior staff doing observations on senior staff
• Sophie telling Graham he is muppet for loosing 3 sharpies
• Berno’s open Facebook post about what he learnt from mistakes while out coasteering

28 March 2016 by Graham Milton