Feedback that Matters – By Heather Backstrom

Feedback that Matters

Many leaders struggle with giving feedback to employees. It can feel uncomfortable and stressful. On the flip side it’s vital to career development. These tips will help you prepare that so that it’s less stressful and more focused on career development.

Consider the Purpose: Think about the reason for the feedback. This helps you focus on the bigger picture. If Barbara makes errors on the monthly sales report what’s the larger perspective? Sure, you need her to generate reports that are error free, but beyond that what is the bigger picture? Error free reports help the sales team focus their efforts. Likewise it helps marketing know what products are hot sellers and that helps inform manufacturing to prioritize production. In essence the bigger picture is about teamwork, productivity, efficiency and the mission of the company.

Listen First: It’s beneficial to hear first what the employee has to say rather than immediately jumping in yourself. “Jim, let’s talk about the abc project. Seems that some things are going well and some not. Let’s talk it through.” This invites Jim into the conversation rather than putting him immediately on the defense. It also lets him know that you want a balanced picture and haven’t immediately drawn conclusions. This also let’s Jim identify some of the problems that need addressing.

Be Specific and Actionable: Hone in on how the employee can specifically improve or change. Saying, “work better with customers” is too vague and lacks action. Instead convey the expectation of how customers are to be greeted, followed-up with and handled during checkout. Being specific and actionable also helps you observe if the employee took the feedback to heart or not. So it makes your job easier in terms of observation and follow-up.

Be Focused: Hone in on one or two things that a person can do better or differently. Too much feedback on too many things simply puts the employee into a state of overwhelm which is counterproductive. Think about the most critical improvement or change the employee can make and then keep your feedback focused on that.

Camera Check: Sometimes you want to give feedback on behaviors rather than tangible work output. The trick here is to hone in on the actual behaviors. Saying, “Ken, you have a bad attitude” is not helpful. It puts him on the defense and doesn’t tell him how to improve. Instead, make a mental note of the behaviors you’ve seen demonstrated that indicate his poor attitude. If you were to take a picture of his attitude what would you see? Perhaps he shows up late to meetings, rarely contributes ideas, makes negative comments and doesn’t offer help to others. If so, then make your feedback about that and the impact of it.

Remember, feedback is ultimately about career development. Keeping this is mind makes the experience less stressful for you and the employee.

Heather Backstrom is an executive coach, leadership development consultant and speaker. She has a doctorate in organizational leadership from Pepperdine University. She can be reached at www.heatherbackstrom.com

More from Opinion