As a leader or a manager, you have the responsibility to give feedback to your team. If you do not prepare for these moments, then they will not be fully effective. You want your team to respond positively, and energized to take action. It requires preparation.
Here are three suggestions you should think about as you prepare to give feedback:
1. Know Their Perspective. If you were in their place, how would you like to receive the feedback? What would motivate them further? If you are giving feedback about a specific incident, think through the issue from their perspective. What values, motives, and circumstances have driven their behavior? Adjust your feedback appropriately.
2. Define Opportunities, Not Problems. Review your perspective. It is easier to identify problems than it is opportunities. But every problem is an opportunity in disguise. Uncover the opportunity that exists, then provide feedback that will allow them to see it also.
3. Standards, Expectations, Examples. Review the current matter based on the conditions of the work standards that exist, the clear expectations you set, and the examples you used for training. Make sure your review is based on facts, not on your intent. Based on this review, why did you not get the results you required? Often you will believe that a team member needs to improve, but in reality, it is your leadership that needs to improve. What could you have improved in the standards, expectations, and examples that would lead to better results?
If you want to be great at giving effective feedback, take a moment and prepare using these three ideas. Your employees will thank you!