The next time you need to have a difficult feedback conversation with an employee, consider these guidelines:
- Be direct but kind. Check your motives before
diving into the discussion. If your goal is to shame someone or to feel
superior in some way, you’re way off track. However, if you see an
opportunity for growth, be direct. Don’t beat around the bush. Include
specific examples of desired behaviors to help illustrate what you mean. - Listen. Listening provides a space in which both
people feel respected. Ideally, a feedback conversation is meant to
spark learning on both sides — you must understand the situation
together to make positive change. Consider this recent HBR.org article by
Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman, which shared the results of a global
study in which respondents were asked to rate their managers on the
extent to which they “carefully listened to the other person’s point of
view before giving them feedback.” Respondents who rated their managers
as highly effective at listening felt more positively about the
manager’s ability to provide feedback. The respondents who strongly
disagreed with this statement rated their manager significantly lower on
providing honest and straightforward feedback on a regular basis. - Don’t make it personal. Imagined slights and
malice are toxic. It’s easy to take things personally in a feedback
conversation, but if you acknowledge the emotions being felt, you will
offer the recipient a relief valve for the stress. - Be present. Show up fully for the discussion, and
don’t rush off once it’s over. Be brave enough to allow moments of
silence to come into the conversation. Follow up later so that
afterthoughts don’t create imagined distance. - Inspire greatness. Be sure to communicate your aspirations for the person you’re giving feedback to.
No comments:
Post a Comment