Giving both positive and constructive feedback can be one of the most challenging things for any manager, new or seasoned, to do. Sometimes things just flow naturally with an employee that seems to think and do as you would, while with others it can be more of a stretch to help coach them. There is an abundance of information out there on how to give feedback and many Human Resource departments also have a formal process as well.
To make it intuitive, follow this rule of thumbs: Praise publicly, coach privately.
Simply, if you have something good to say, make sure to announce it at a team meeting or in a way to give kudos so others are aware. For most employees, they can be motivated by the public acknowledgement of their hard work and extra efforts. This can go a long way for employee engagement and retention while setting the stage of the company culture.
Alternatively, if you have constructive feedback for an employee, make sure you do this in private. Ideally, you’ve already established a weekly 15-minute meeting (insert hyperlink to “the importance of a weekly touch base”) and this can be your opportunity to provide that feedback. I generally recommend the following approach:
- Provide concrete examples of the behavior (at least two or three incidences)
- Ask for any clarification that may be needed to understand why this occurred
- If needed, provide an explanation as to why the behavior needs to change
- Ask for input for solutions
An example might be, Employee A gets to work late 3 times over the last 2 weeks. It’s important for them to be here on time to ensure that there is someone here to take customer calls. Perhaps when you ask why, they say because they’ve been having care trouble. You can reiterate the need for them to be here on time as aks for possible solutions. This will help Employee A feel involved in the process. Looking for feedback on a real time example? Get in touch with me here:
Typically managers struggle with one or the other- either they will always provide constructive feedback and little positive reinforcement or they hesitate on the former.
Some strategies for feedback:
- Write it down beforehand
- Do role play with a spouse or trusted friend
- Avoid the compliment sandwich- this will cause the feedback to get lost.
- Avoid doing this on a Friday, typically the employee will forget by the time Monday rolls around
Some strategies for praise:
- Put 5 coins in your left pocket and as you give out praise to team members, put one coin into the right pocket
- Write things down and bring them up at the next team meeting
- Work with HR to develop a “kudo card” and use them for team, posting them in a public place
What strategies will you try this week? What has worked for you in the past?
