How to give constructive feedback

Have you ever given feedback to an employee, only to receive a negative response?

Feedback is one of the most important management tools for companies, however it can be one of the trickiest ones to get right. Feedback has the tendency to impact on people’s emotions which can mean that many managers avoid giving feedback altogether. Regardless of how difficult it can be to give constructive feedback, avoiding it can do more harm than good. For employees, receiving feedback is important for development and productivity and is therefore a vital tool for companies to achieve results and drive success.

When is feedback most effective?

One mistake that managers often make is to wait until something goes wrong to give feedback. The result can be that problems can fester and become even more difficult to deal with. In fact, according to Gallup, companies that give feedback on people’s’ strengths have a 14.9% lower turnover rate and 8.9% higher profitability than those that don’t.

Employees prefer to hear about their successes in the workplace rather than their failings. This is why constructive feedback is most effective when positive feedback is also regularly delivered. Employees can benefit greatly from receiving regular positive feedback so that they can focus on their strengths and use them to increase productivity.

Common errors people make when approaching giving feedback can include:

• The “how is it going” approach – Delivering feedback as part of a non-specific, “how is it going” type discussion. This can be too unfocused and may feel like an out-of-nowhere ambush for the employee.
• The feedback sandwich – Delivering negative feedback sandwiched in the middle of positive feedback. This can end up more closely resembling the “crap filed lolly” by presenting something as sweet when at its centre it actually isn’t. This isn’t a transparent or effective approach.
• The pillow approach – Using too many pillows when delivering feedback to ensure a soft landing. When managers are too phobic about confrontation they can overwork to minimise the negative impact. This can be confusing for the employee as they may not actually realise that their behaviour needs to change.
• The machine gun nelly – Building up a lot of feedback over time as ammunition and then letting them have it all at once! This can make the employee feel like they are under attack.

 

Why is it important to deliver feedback effectively?

When feedback is delivered ineffectively, the results can be highly detrimental to an employee’s performance. If the employee consistently receives feedback in a way that undermines their ability to perform their job, their confidence may be weakened, and their overall performance can be impaired.

The desire for people to only hear positive feedback can sometimes inhibit their ability to take negative feedback onboard. In order to deliver negative feedback in a way that increases productivity, preserves morale and improves success, managers should consider the following strategies:

Employ the STAR/AR approach

The STAR approach is an effective approach for giving feedback. It clearly identifies the good or bad behaviour and evaluates the results in a clear and easy to digest way.

It comprises of the following steps.

S – Situation

Describe the situation where the behaviour occurred. 

T – Task

Describe the task the employee performed.

A – Action  

Describe the action taken by the employee.

R – Result

Describe the result of that action taken by the employee.

If your feedback is constructive in nature then you should also add the extra layers of:

A – Alternative action

Suggest an alternative action that could have been taken by the employee.

R – Alternative result 

Suggest an alternative result that could have occurred had the employee taken alternative action.

The STAR/AR approach not only assesses performance but also recommends alternative strategies for next time which ensures that the employee has the best possible chance to learn from the feedback.

Working with an executive coach is a great way to master giving constructive feedback to your employees. To find out whether this is right for you contact us today.

An executive coach will work with you to ensure your feedback is digestible, specific, objective, honest, accurate, solutions-focused and balanced. 

Digestible

Give bite sized feedback at a time. It’s important that managers don’t bombard employees with too much feedback at the one time. Saving multiple matters for the one conversation can inhibit a person’s ability to achieve their best results. Rather, it is more effective to give small amounts of feedback, more often.

What may seem like an easy fix for a manager may take some time to perfect for an employee. This is why giving little bits of feedback at a time will help to ensure that the outcome of each discussion will be achieved.

Specific

Dancing around the problem without drawing focus to the bottom-line is a way that some managers try to give feedback to avoid hurting someone’s feelings. This method is highly ineffective. By being specific and maintaining focus, managers can ensure that employees have heard and understood the information that has been given to them. This can help to ensure that they work to resolve the problem and work towards their goals.

Objective

Your feedback must be objective and concentrate on behaviour, not character. Giving constructive feedback in a manner than disempowers, humiliates or undermines people can be extremely counterintuitive. When constructive feedback is delivered ineffectively, employees may take it as a personal attack on their character. For example, telling someone that something they have done is “not good” can be received as a personal attack. The person may receive this information by thinking “I am not good”. In order to deliver constructive feedback, it’s important to frame the discussion around the task at hand rather than the employee’s character.

Honest & Accurate 

Your feedback must be accurate, honest and fair. Make sure you have a clear understanding of exactly how the employee behaved before addressing it. It is also important for you to consider why you are unhappy with the behaviour of the employee. Did the employee underperform or did they simply take a different action than you would have? Employing the STAR/AR model will help identify genuine behaviour or performance issues rather than personal preferences.

Solutions-focused

Centre the discussion on the solution, not just the problem. To draw attention to a problem area, constructive feedback should be framed in a way that highlights potential future successes. Instead of dwelling on the problem, managers should guide employees by concentrating on the solution. Ask coaching questions like, “what’s another approach? What worked well? What could you do differently? By concentrating on “what to do” instead of “what not to do”, the person will feel more empowered to achieve success.

Balanced

Create a balance between addressing the subject of the feedback with the emotional needs of the employee. How will the employee react to this feedback? Do they feel respected and listened to? Will delivering this feedback create fallout in terms of employee engagement?

Employees may respond to feedback differently, so when giving constructive feedback it’s important for managers to be receptive to the individual’s response. This way you can tailor your next discussion according to the techniques the person responded best to.

Timely & Constructive

Don’t be a “machine gun nelly”; make sure your feedback is timely. Don’t wait to deliver feedback until the behaviour is no longer fresh in the employee’s’ mind; make sure you address the behaviour as soon as possible.

A lot of managers find that delivering constructive feedback is a skill they may need to improve on. At Directions Unlimited we offer executive coaching to help you develop those skills, and more! To find out more about how to give constructive feedback to your employees, contact us today.