Although being the CEO or manager of a company/department can seem like a glamorous high-flying job, there are certain aspects of these positions that no one wants to carry out. One such aspect is giving feedback to employees, especially if it might not be the glowing review they’re hoping for. Nonetheless, feedback is part of your job, and it helps to shape the team of employees who are working for you. Here we present you with some tips for giving your employees feedback and ensuring that your firm continues to thrive.
Give feedback frequently
Although you shouldn’t micromanage everything that your team does, be sure to “touch base” with them frequently and perhaps give them smaller pieces of consistent feedback throughout their work days. Although it can seem more convenient to save up a big pile of feedback and blast through it at a meeting, this can leave your team feeling sad, confused, and demoralized.
The other reason that frequent feedback is advised is that it allows you to “nip things in the bud” and advise against certain employee behaviors which may turn into bad habits if you don’t intervene. Providing constant feedback allows you to ensure that problems don’t spiral out of control and employees don’t dig themselves a deeper hole than necessary.
Don’t make it too formal
Treat feedback as more of a conversation than a formal process. The thing is, as soon as you invite someone to a meeting for “feedback”, they’re going to walk into the meeting on the defense, looking to save themselves from criticism and any perceived injustices. Avoid calling it “feedback” and just treat it as a regular conversation, as this will make your team less worried and more receptive to your points.
Talk to your team like adults
Although some CEOs and managers may go for a little power trip when they rise to their new positions, this is a quick way to lose the trust and cooperation of your team. When giving feedback to your employees, be sure to avoid patronizing them and “talking down” to them like children. Your employees are all adults at the end of the day, and they’re undoubtedly intelligent.
It may be worth getting feedback yourself (from co-workers at your level) about the way you talk to employees and whether your efforts to be simple and intuitive could be misconstrued as patronizing and narcissistic. It’s an easy mistake to make!
Giving feedback can be daunting, especially for new or inexperienced managers who feel that they haven’t earned the right to criticise a long-standing team. Nevertheless, follow these tips and it should make the feedback process that little bit easier!
-Todd
Todd Ringleman
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