Make It Count: What You Say and How You Say It

Make It Count: What You Say and How You Say It

Feedback in business is a collaborative process of two-way communication between management and employees. Too often, input from a manager doesn’t come until it’s time for a performance evaluation or when a problem has escalated out of control. In either scenario, the time to offer constructive feedback is often long overdue.

A good manager understands the value that ongoing communication holds in the development of their team. Proactive input, whether positive or negative, is essential, and if handled properly, builds trust and respect throughout the team. The goal is not just to solve a problem, but rather to help the employee grow both personally and professionally.

Sally’s Five Growth-Proof Steps to Constructive Feedback

1. Plan It Out! Often, employees worry for days about feedback but most managers spend little time thinking through what they want to accomplish with their feedback. Take time to think through the message you want to get across to an employee by outlining your thoughts with specific examples of the situation you’re trying to change.

2. Own It! Focus on your personal perception of the situation, rather than what the person did wrong, and address the receiver with facts, rather than assumptions and hearsay. Instead of saying “You were wrong to speak out in the meeting” say “When you spoke in the meeting, I felt that you were very angry about the situation.”

3. Ask for It! Allow the receiver the opportunity to explain. Most managers spend too much time talking in feedback sessions. Your employee deserves a chance to react to your perceptions and explain their perspective. This input will be important in helping the employee move beyond the situation.

4. Map it Out! Develop a plan to help the employee correct and move beyond the situation. Addressing the situation is a first step in the process, but most employees want to know how to improve and what you, as the manager, are willing to do to help them.

5. Sum it Up! Now that you’ve offered constructive feedback, recap the outcome of the conversation in a one page summary, outlining the circumstances and next steps, including a follow up date and how you’ll measure their progress.

Taking time to both think through and clearly define your message and the desired outcome ensure that the employee understands your concerns and that they have the support needed to progress. Providing candid and frequent feedback is a necessary process in one’s professional development. You get out of it what you put into it.