The Complicated Art of Feedback - Giving, Seeking and Receiving
“Good feedback is the key to improvement.”
I wish giving feedback was as easy as it is to write down these words. But, why? Why is it that feedbacks are so dreaded? Why is it that employees look at the annual review as the most feared day of the year? Does this have something to do with the way leaders look at employee feedback? Or, does it have something to do with the insecurity that employees have about their work performance being criticized without any solid reason?
"Simplify the way you manage your projects and teams. Switch to a project management software."
Whatever the reason be, what I’ve managed to figure out during my career as an employee earlier and now as a manager is that giving feedback is an art. A highly complicated art that involves an exchange of views, based on facts and figures, between the employee and the manager, smartly.Mastering this art can help you become a better leader.
The bad thing is that not too many managers take this art seriously. So, I decided to write about it and share my views with you. Hope they resonate and help you become better at this art.
Feedback is about the work, not about the person
Generally what leaders tend to do while giving feedback is they mix the views about the person with their person. So, things already start on the wrong foot. The person receiving feedback is bound to the doors for such feedback and go on the backfoot.
That’s exactly the kind of situation you would want to avoid. You must keep in mind that feedback should always be about the work and the performance. You should never mix your personal battles with work. Keep your emotions aside, and focus more on what’s good for the business. There’s plenty of space and time available outside office for you to fight personal battles.
Feedback sharing is a continuous process
The biggest mistakes team leaders and managers do with feedback sharing is that they leave it for too late. For instance, generally, feedback is shared during the time of annual increment or the annual performance review. Well, there is nothing wrong in specifically organizing an event to recognize the achievements of a team.
But, you should not leave feedback sharing only for annual reviews. Think of it as a continuous process. During the projects, during your weekly meetings, whenever you get an opportunity to sit together with the team, think of it as an opportunity to share your views about how they are performing and discuss how you can better things.
Feedback does not always have to be negative
And, feedback does not always have to about something negative. Even when a team member has done something appreciable, share some words of encouragement as a feedback - it will be a big morale booster for them!
Yes, it is absolutely necessary to point the team members out when they are making a mistake. But, it is equally important to share constructive and positive feedback with them as well, whenever they manage to complete a task with flying colors. That’s how you can sow the seeds for a team which trusts each other and is willing to go over the board for its leader.
Feedback sharing is a two-way process
One of the most important things that leaders do not realize about feedback sharing is that it is not just about giving. It is equally about seeking what the team members have to say about everything.
It is an exchange of thoughts where parties at both the ends need to bring their point of view out. For instance, if an employee performance was less than what you expected to seek an answer for the same. You never know, they might have something to share which was completely oblivious to you. This two-way feedback can help in the growth of the employee at their personal level, as well as the team as a whole unit.
You can always make feedback sharing creative
I’d like to end this post with a few creative ideas that can help you become better at the art of feedback sharing. Some of my personally tried and tested tips include -
- Don’t use harsh words of criticism, rather be polite and subtle when sharing feedback.
- Offer alternatives or solutions that can help to improve the person’s performance.
- Ask open-ended questions to get an insight on what the person thinks about something, which is not accurate according to you.
- Empathize so that the person at the receiving end of the feedback knows that he or she is dealing with humans.
Hope these will help. All the best!
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Vartika Kashyap currently runs the marketing team at ProofHub — a project management software for teams of all sizes. She is a seasoned marketing professional who is an expert in digital marketing and entrepreneurship. She’s been featured among LinkedIn’s Top Voices for the year 2016. Connect with Vartika on LinkedIn, Medium and Twitter.
Also follow our company page @ProofHub to get the recent updates about our tool, published articles, motivational quotes & presentations.
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Head of LCS Management
7 年Great article to read. The challenge when giving feedback seems to be how it is positioned and perceived by the receiver, not forgetting the follow through action of the feedback which was shared.