Communication Skills Feedback: Feedback $1$: I have been working with Joe for almost $18$ months in the position that he is currently in at MMHI. Joe was hired, I believe, in July of $2022,$ a few months shy of when the then IT Director chose to retire. Joe, in my opinion, was not trained for the position as the then director did not want to have any of his staff interact with new hires to properly train them. Joe is a very kind and caring person and in his prior position at MMHI he worked as a PCT $($psychiatric care technician or Certified Nursing Assistant$).$ Joe is a man of great faith and very dedicated to his culture and that faith daily. One of my observations is that Joe $$mimics$$ what I say when I speak with him $$ for example in giving him suggestions or instructions on how to complete tasks regarding to working with our help desk ticketing system. He repeats the main words that I say back to me$.$ For me$,$ never having to learn a foreign language except Spanish in high school and college, I sense that this is a manner that allows him to check in with me to confirm that he understands what I am asking him because I do not speak his native language. Other co$-$workers have mentioned this to me about this style of learning by repeating back what we say to him. I admit, I speak quite quickly and have many years of technical experience with the State and specifically at MMHI. In the past, most new staff, when hired, can hit the ground running and are able to grasp the concepts and principles of IT$-$related processes. I do not know how Joe worked in his home country in the IT field, so I cannot compare his skillset and knowledge needed there as compared to here in Wisconsin. I do believe that Joe is trying his best to work in this environment, not having the training that I believe he lacked when he started at work. I did my best to go through the help desk ticketing system, but without $($in my opinion$)$ a strong understanding of how the system works and a language barrier, it must be a challenge for him on a day$-$to$-$day basis. I give him much credit for showing up day after day to work. Another situation that I encounter is the difference in age compared to mine. I was raised and taught in a different culture and environment and how I have learned over the years. I am very detail$-$oriented, and verbal and I know the job quite well and the staff quite well. I provide all the new employee training and IT processes when users start. However, he does not have some of the intuitive IT skills to provide a complete process of helping customers. The notion that IT is a customer$-$service job is not something that I believe him to be familiar with. He can follow step$-$by$-$step processes as we explain it to him. I have found that perhaps some of this is generational and language$-$related but there seems to be no creativity, nor innate curiosity on taking tickets, asking questions about doing the work and getting tickets resolved and closed.

Again, I fault issues with our management and lack of training given to Joe since he joined the IT staff. $.$ There are so many systems that we$,$ in our positions, are responsible for, and the job can be daunting, especially with language barrier is

Feedback $2$:It is my opinion, from working with Joe, he does not have great typing skills and it hampers him in conjunction with his language barrier issues. I would suggest some keyboarding and typing courses so that he can type, and process help desk tickets and put in some detail as to how he resolved an issue that he completed within that ticketing system. Again, I will fault the lack of training offered to him for the most part. I do not believe that he is aware that he needs to be bolder and braver to ask staff how things should be done and how to become quick at assessing issues and bringing good customer service to the staff we support at MMHI. I can$$t even begin to comprehend how challenging it is to have language barriers holding you back in your job. I give him huge kudos for sticking with it and pushing through. He is always at work and is very responsible to be there.

Self$-$Reflection: After having the $360-$degree feedback answer the following questions below please make it in detailed and professional $.$

$1.$ Going forward, what are two things you can do to adapt your communication and conflict management style in order to improve your relationships with Person #$2?$

$2.$ Going forward, what are two things you can do to adapt your communication and conflict management style to improve your relationships with Person #$3?$

$3.$ How might you consider adapting your communication styles to match the different relationships of your $360$ participants?