 Frequently, when I am conducting an investigation or a leadership assessment, I am struck by how differently people perceive feedback. Although a leader will assert that they have given their staff person their evaluations of specific performance “numerous times”, the staff person, when questioned, denies ever hearing such a critique.
“…do not ignore the problem and hope it will go away or give people vague, passing feedback.”
The mystery of why we don’t see ourselves the way others see us is a matter of many complicated factors, https://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200505/metaperceptions-how-do-you-see-yourself, including how we were raised, whether our brain is wired in a way to decipher social cues, our life experiences and so forth. Yet as leaders, it is essential that we do our best to make sure that our feedback is heard and integrated. The good news is that we can control our side of the process and that can make a significant difference.
What Should You Do?
As leaders, we have a responsibility to give people accurate, timely feedback. While we can never assume total responsibility for how our words are heard, these things help:
- Use specific, behavioral examples. Don’t just say that someone seems to lack focus, tell them that their presentation was not organized in a logical way and that they jumped around from topic to topic. Tell them what they actually did and said that wasn’t up to par, and give them specific, behavioral examples of what would work better.
- Don’t wait for annual performance reviews. Give people feedback close to the time the problem occurs. Performance reviews should never be a surprise but simply a summary of feedback they have received throughout the year.
- Document, document, document. Make sure that you make notes in your manager’s file of the feedback you have given, as well as their response. After talking in person to them, summarize the feedback in an email to an employee, or better yet, have them summarize what you said in an email back to you. Some people integrate the written word better than they listen.
- Train your employees on how to listen and receive feedback, as well as training your managers on how to provide feedback.
Mostly, do not ignore the problem and hope it will go away or give people vague, passing feedback. Feedback is an essential part of your job; make sure that you take it seriously.
 Did You Know
All of our management and leadership programs include how to give and receive feedback so that you have the best chance of making sure that it is heard. We also conduct sessions to help employees ask for and receive feedback.
For more information, call or write us at: 303-216-1020 or Lynne@workplacesthatwork.com
Be sure to read Lynne’s book “We Need to Talk — Tough Conversations With Your Employee”
and learn how to tackle any topic with sensitivity and smarts.
|
August 28, 2017
