We all have those hard working employees, who are so dedicated, nose to the grindstone all day, but no matter how hard they try, they still aren’t living up to what you really need. It’s hard to criticize when someone is just so nice.
Here’s the thing, don’t criticize. There’s no such thing as constructive criticism. How do you feel when someone criticizes you? Defensive, pissed off? How is that ever constructive? But if we can take the criticism and think of it as feedback, it is much easier to deliver and much more effective.
It’s no cliché to say feedback is a gift. Someone once told me that when she had to give negative feedback to one of her employees, she would think of it as giving them their job back. I care so much about you that I am giving you the opportunity to be successful here. Think of it like this. If someone is not meeting the expectations of the job, eventually something’s got to give. Either you’re going to get fed up one day and fire them, or you will keep avoiding the hard conversation and nothing will happen, except reduced productivity. Both are bad outcomes. As a manager you have the right to fire someone if they are not meeting the expectations of the job. So if you could get yourself to really believe that giving this feedback is actually giving them their job back, with all the support they need to be successful, it will take a lot of the anxiety out of the conversation, because it will be positive, not negative. It’s, here’s how you can succeed here. And I’m pulling for you.
This approach lets the employee know you care, but also that you will not accept mediocrity, which you can’t afford to do. You also have to do your part, by getting feedback from the employee so you can give them all the support they need to be successful. They don’t only need to feel you’re on their side, you need to be!
Here are 4 things you should remember when delivering negative feedback to make it most effective:
• Be specific (not judgmental; focus only on the exact issue)
• Be descriptive (make sure they understand exactly what you need)
• Give feedback in the right setting (make it in private so they can receive it better and not be embarrassed)
• Give feedback in a timely fashion (close to the event or issue so they can actually remember what you are talking about and the facts are still clear in your mind.)
• Lastly, don’t forget the positive feedback. People will work even harder to live up to your praise!
Thoughts…….. Contact me at abbe@TECResourceCenter.com
Click here for more information on how to give feedback in the right setting