How to Provide Feedback to Employees (Or Anyone Else)

September 8th, 2011 by Skywalk Group Categories: business, Company Training, Customer Service, Customer Service Training, Employee Development, Employee Retention, Human Resources Management, Management Development, News, Skywalk Group, Supervisory Training, Team Building

Let’s just be frank about this.  Most managers stink at giving feedback to their employees.  And we aren’t just talking about developmental feedback either.  Generally, even though there is a lot of positive feedback to share, it goes unspoken.

There are a lot of reasons for this.  Time.  Schedules.  Fear.  Inability.

Using this feedback model can dramatically improve the feedback process.   It will improve workplace productivity and the morale of your team.  It will even help build your credibility as an organizational leader.  But don’t stop at the office.  This same model can be used at home and with friends too!

The Feedback Model

Ask for permission.

This is meant literally.  Ex.  “Susan, can I give you some feedback right now?”  Asking this allows Susan to opt out of receiving the feedback at that particular time.  She may be having a bad day, in a hurry to a next appointment, or focused on something else at the time.  This doesn’t mean that she can avoid getting the feedback indefinitely.  If her answer is no, then you just say that you will be sending her a meeting invitation for some time that week to discuss the feedback with her.

Ask for the team member’s evaluation.   Then give your evaluation of performance.

The important part here is to ask for their evaluation first.  This is important for two reasons:

1. It allows you to gain insights into how the employee thinks they are doing.
2. Generally, people tend to be harder on themselves so getting them to think about the topic of discussion may be all you have to do.

Identify what will help maintain or improve performance.

Again, the strategy here is to ask the team member for their suggestions first.  And then agree or add your suggestions to that.  What you want to avoid is the perception that you are forcing your ideas on them.  Let them own their own problems and solutions.

Agree on a plan.

Communication is good.  Action is better.  A game plan is a must if you are truly seeking a change in behavior.

Get commitment and set up a time to review progress.

This is an important piece of the puzzle.  Both parties have to know and understand that they are committed to the change.  Setting up a time to review progress keeps people focused and is a positive way to demonstrate commitment to the process.

Stay tuned! The next blog article will focus on how you can get better at accepting feedback, regardless of what your role is in the organization.

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