Giving constructive feedback is an essential skill for any manager. It is the process for relaying the effects of behaviour for the individual’s benefit and learning. Without feedback it can become difficult to progress. The purpose of giving feedback is to improve performance in the future.
It is recognised that feedback directs behaviour and motivates performance at work – no matter how good or effective your staff are, they can always get better.
With poor performers we owe a legal and moral obligation to give feedback. We are required to do the following:
- Establish the standards of performance and behaviour required by the job
- Give feedback when performance falls short of those standards
- Develop a joint action plan to get them back on track
There are many ways, some are formal, a lot are irregular and hit or miss. For example, the research into complaining customers shows that for every customer that complains, there are another 10 or11 who are also dissatisfied but who haven’t voiced their opinion. In all types of business, feedback is important because past behaviour is the best indicator of future behaviour; unless something intervenes to alter our perspective, we will not change.
One of the regular difficulties experienced by organisations with formal appraisal systems is that managers have a habit of saving up their feedback for the once a year meeting. A good ground rule if you have appraisal is “NO SURPRISES“. Twelve months is far too long to leave someone in the dark about their performance, whether good bad or indifferent.
A more effective approach is to give continuous feedback throughout the year and supplement the annual interview with a series of short mini appraisals. This will make sure that nothing is missed, will keep the channels of communication open throughout the year and as a result, the final review will be more effective.
Ideally, the more immediate the feedback, the better it will be. By giving feedback as soon as possible after the event or during the progress of the work, the better both manager and job holder will be able to recall the performance and the circumstances and the more concrete will be the information on which to build.
Guidelines for giving feedback
- Encourage self-criticism. People are more willing to accept the criticism when they have recognised their own strengths and weaknesses. Start by encouraging them to appraise themselves and then build on their own insights
- Emphasise what you see and hear. Make your feedback descriptive rather than evaluative. Describe your own observations without making judgements as to whether you see the facts as good or bad, and leave the person to make up their own assessment.
- Concentrate on particular points. Make feedback specific rather than general. It is easier for someone to react to this than to general statements.
- Outline the positive points. By making feedback constructive you will be helping them to find out what needs to be done rather than just telling them what they are not doing right. Always look for areas of improvement rather than concentrating on what went wrong.
- Indicate what can be and should be done. Make your feedback practical so the person can do something about it. It should be specific ways the person can improve. Don’t say their behaviour was good or bad, it gives no direction for improvements over which the employee has control.
- Build on what people want. Try to give feedback that is asked for rather than imposed. If this is not possible and you must bring things to the employees attention, tell them that you are giving feedback.
- The right time. Take time to explain things to the employee properly. This way the employee can understand what you have said and can discuss it with you. Avoid a few rushed moments in the corridor to talk to someone about their performance.
