You want to give feedback to your manager. How can you do it effectively?

2 Focus on the facts and behaviors

When giving feedback to your manager, you want to avoid personal attacks, assumptions, or generalizations. Instead, you want to base your feedback on specific facts and observable behaviors that relate to the project or the performance. For example, instead of saying "You are always late with the reports", you can say "The reports were submitted two days after the deadline for the last three weeks". This way, you can avoid emotional reactions, and provide clear and objective evidence for your feedback.

4 Listen and empathize

Giving feedback to your manager is not a one-way communication. You also need to listen and empathize with their perspective, feelings, and responses. You can use active listening skills, such as nodding, paraphrasing, and asking questions, to show your interest and understanding. You can also acknowledge their challenges, constraints, or difficulties, and express your empathy and sympathy. This way, you can build rapport, trust, and mutual respect with your manager, and avoid defensiveness or hostility.

5 Follow up and thank

After giving feedback to your manager, you want to make sure that the feedback is understood, accepted, and acted upon. You can follow up with your manager by sending a summary of the feedback session, highlighting the key points, actions, and outcomes. You can also check in with your manager regularly, to monitor the progress, provide support, or offer additional feedback. Finally, you want to thank your manager for listening to your feedback, and for making the necessary changes or improvements. This way, you can reinforce the positive impact of the feedback, and show your appreciation and recognition for your manager.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?