Employee Feedback: Intent Matters

A recent wave of sentiment has questioned the increasingly popular trend of strengths-based feedback, with some going so far as to suggest that ignoring weaknesses risks missing the boat on improving performance.

I am inclined to think there is a middle ground that depends on a simple premise (betrayed in the title): intent matters.

To me, the innovation of the strengths movement was a shift away from cynicism and negativity, not an abandonment of remedial employee development. Sure, we could debate the underlying question of whether fixing your weaknesses or amplifying your strengths is most important, but in the end, I think logic dictates that making progress on either front would deliver value to the subject of the feedback (and the organization to which she belongs).

Is there a way, then, to preserve the spirit of the strengths movement without avoiding "corrective" feedback entirely? I believe there is.

Teach managers empathy, respect and kindness. As anyone who's been blessed to have a truly outstanding manager can tell you, much is conveyed by the tone, timing, words chosen, body language and actions of the giver of feedback, regardless of positive / negative framing. It is our task (in HR) to unlock the right behaviors so critical messages can be received by employees.

If the culture of an organization is characterized by mistrust, backstabbing, political maneuvering and retaliation, no amount of engineering applied to the performance management process will fix things. 

Managers need to genuinely want to help their people before subordinates will be interested in accepting their guidance.