I came across another great article this past week.  It talked about ways to give productive feedback to your employees.   Giving employee feedback seems like an obvious task for any leader, but too often there is a lack of it.

Providing quality and timely feedback, whether positive or negative, to employees in one of the hardest things to do as a leader.  It takes time to do it consistently and appropriately.  For employees to continually improve themselves and remain satisfied and engaged they must receive feedback regularly and on a timely basis. 

But it is not only important to give feedback, it must be given in the right manner.  Below are several ways the Forbes Coaches Council suggest for giving high quality, honest feedback:

Start with the Positive – Always start with what has gone well.  Point out specific examples of their positive contributions.  Then discuss what didn’t go as well and work together to develop an action plan for improvement.

Be Direct and Offer Support – Get straight to the point, but offer your support for helping them to improve.  Make sure the employee understands the issue at hand.  Being too vague or sugar-coating can create confusion around the real issue.

Ask Questions – Start out by asking the employee how they think they are doing.  Ask them to describe examples of how they are doing well and areas they’d like to improve in.  Adjust your conversation based on their answers.

Ask for Their Feedback First – Ask the employee what they think their strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement are.  They might already realize areas they need to improve in, but were not sure how to ask for help.

Let the Employee Set Their Own Improvement Goals – Explain that you are there to help them do the best job possible and find out what they need from you to do that.  Once goals are set, ask them how you can help.

Act Like a Coach – Adopt a coaching mindset by providing positive feedback – not punishing.  Teach employees how to turn a failure into future success.  Discuss lessons learned from mistakes and how they can improve the next time.

Also, think about giving feedback “up” the chain as well.  I am fortunate to have a couple leaders here at ASE that report to me, but give me feedback if they see something that is done correctly and also when they think I need some improvement on something.  I appreciate that honest feedback.

Quality employee feedback creates a positive work environment.  Employees need to feel respected and psychologically safe.  Employees shouldn’t fear making mistakes.  The most successful employees are willing to try new things and know that if it isn’t 100% successful, you will work with them to figure out how to make improvements the next time around.  For both the business and the employees to keep evolving, both must be willing to take chances.  Employees must receive consistent feedback to improve on areas that need it and continue excelling in positive areas.

How do you give regular feedback?  I love hearing different point of views from our readers.  Email me at [email protected].