Giving great feedback is a learned skill. Read a summary of three keys and four steps to great feedback, or download the full article Mastering the Art of Feedback
Why People Hate Feedback
When people hear “I’d like to give you some constructive feedback,” they’re pretty confident that the next words will focus on how to improve. The term feedback is now more associated with criticism than praise. The “compliment sandwich” is a largely to blame. For more details on why the “compliment sandwich” fails, and what works download the article Mastering the Art of Feedback.
Can I Help You?
The first step is to focus on being helpful. People are highly attuned to emotions, tone, and intent. They can easily detect when someone is insincere, frustrated, condescending, or apathetic. A genuine desire to help is essential. Frankly, this may be the hardest step. The intensity of daily work easily leads to frustration with team imperfections. This is entirely normal, but counterproductive. Set your heart and mind on wishing the best for the employee, the team, and the firm.
Honesty is the Best Policy
Unfortunately, the awkwardness of delivering unpleasant feedback drives people to be too vague. I’ve participated in developmental meetings where the feedback was baffling. Employees were asked to “be a team player”, “communicate better”, or “collaborate more” without clarity on how to improve. Feeling confused myself, I probed and uncovered the truth. Ironically, the employee appreciated the leader honesty much more than cautious diplomacy.
When I coach individuals who have been given compassionate honest and clear feedback, it increases motivation. They’re happier with their leaders, happier with their job, and more successful. The key is to be compassionately honest. For more details on compassionate honesty download Mastering the Art of Feedback
Humility is a Strength
Good feedback conversations include a healthy dose of humility. The humble approach recognizes that the leader’s viewpoint lacks crucial information. The employee has blind spots, but so does the leader. The feedback conversation needs to uncover the blind spots on both sides.
When a leader approaches an employee seeking to learn, it lowers defenses and opens the door to problem-solving. Leader humility makes it easier for team members to collaborate with you, rather than defend against you.
4 Practical Steps
Then engage with four tactics to make the conversation positive and productive:
- Focus on Specifics
- Note Patterns
- Describe Impact
- Explain Significance
For examples on how to execute the four tactics and additional resources, download the full article: Mastering the Art of Feedback
Better yet, contact me to discuss your situation and we’ll design a specific strategy for your team.
