There are many tips on how to give successful feedback. Of these, I would like to share with you the principle that I find most useful – the one that has the greatest chance of bringing about positive change.
When feedback is required, it normally begins with a discussion about what happened. But if you didn’t see what happened, debating with your employee exactly what was said or done can be difficult. And even if you did see it, such a discussion may not be productive . Your employee will likely become defensive and try to justify their behaviour, while you may have a different perception of the situation. This will create resentment on both sides.
The key to success, therefore, is to avoid dwelling too long on what happened.State the facts and focus instead on the benefits of improving the situation. Ask your employee to think about what he or she can do to fix the problem (instead of making excuses).
For example, if a conflict has arisen between your employee and a co-worker, focusing the conversation on what happened will not help. You risk reinforcing the employee’s position, and they will undoubtedly seek to justify themself and blame the other person. As soon as possible, encourage your employee to:
- Agree that there is a conflict (or any other situation to be corrected)
- Encourage your employee to make a change by demonstrating the importance of rectifying the situation (this will help to motivate them)
- Encourage your employee to think about what they can do to improve the situation (instead of making excuses)
- Increase your employee’s motivation and confidence by asking them to identify the conditions they need to ensure that their action plan has every chance of success. Be sure not to end the conversation without agreeing on next steps. Determine when they will need to come back to you with an action plan or when you will meet again to review progress (this will hold them accountable).
Choose to inspire change instead of dwelling too long on what happened.
However, the best feedback process is useless without a solid foundation.
Even if you manage your feedback process well, it will not result in positive change unless you are credible in the eyes of your employee and have a relationship built on mutual trust..
If your employee doesn’t trust you, they will probably resist anything you say and will hardly make any effort to correct the situation.
If your employee believes you have good intentions, but finds you’re lacking in credibility, they will likely reject your comments.
You need a trusting relationship with your employee to create a safe space and have a difficult, but honest, conversation. With trust, your employee is likely to be in open mode. Without trust, they will be in shutdown mode.
Stay safe,
Ginette
Food for thoughts.
- Do you avoid giving feedback regularly? Giving feedback once a year allows your employee to improve once a year. Giving feedback regularly allows your employee to improve regularly.
- An annual evaluation should never take your employee by surprise. If it does, it shows that you are not giving enough feedback, positive or negative.
- Giving feedback helps to develop your employee’s skills and knowledge, as long as you find the right words to inspire them. Identify the important results they will achieve by investing in efforts to change, and the conditions they need to have confidence in their success. This will help to keep them motivated.