Let's Bust Some Feedback Myths

Two questions I was often asked when interviewing for a new position last year have the same one word answer.

• What is the biggest risk to a company you would be able to mitigate as the head of human resources?

Most folks immediately think of compliance issues associated with things like wage laws, navigating tricky leaves of absence, or the interactive process for ADA accommodations. My answer often surprised my interviewer because I didn’t cite a particular employment law or common infringement.

• What do you feel is the most important driver of employee engagement and a positive corporate culture?

My answer had nothing to do with core values, mission statements, DE&I, pizza parties, or axe throwing. The biggest risk to any company and the most important driver of employee engagement and corporate culture?

Managers

Hands down. How people are managed is by far the biggest internal risk associated with the human resources function and exactly how corporate culture is experienced.

Companies need to follow the law of course; I am in no way arguing they can afford to ignore labor regulations. But ensuring managers are properly trained to identify their own biases, give feedback, establish reasonable work expectations, set goals, make hiring and firing decisions, apply progressive discipline, etc. goes a long way towards preventing a grievance or lawsuit.

Well-trained managers avoid the discriminatory actions that are illegal, unethical, and harmful and employees treated fairly who feel their manager cares about their work and their career development are much more engaged and productive and far less likely to sue.

Giving meaningful feedback to direct reports is a huge part of building a healthy collaborative corporate culture in addition to being a valuable contributor to risk management.

So much has been said on this topic I am just one more voice in the choir. I’ll touch on the basics first, but the emphasis here is on busting some myths about feedback. If I can get just one manager to stop using the Feedback Sandwich, I’ll consider this a win.

THE ESSENTIAL FEEDBACK HABITS

Timely and Consistent

Don’t let days or weeks pass by before you give someone feedback on their work – either positive or negative. It should be a regular part of your conversations so when something significant happens you are more comfortable delivering the necessary feedback, and they are better prepared to receive it.

Specific and Impersonal

Be specific when relaying positive or negative feedback. Consider these two contrasting pairs of feedback:

Positive

1. Great job today!”
2. “You answered Jill’s questions skillfully and tactfully. Your answers were clear, and I can tell she both understood and appreciated you taking the time to help her. Great job there.”

Negative

1. ?“Your report wasn’t very good.”
2. “Your report contained numerous typos and did not include the section on XYZ. I’d like you to proofread it, insert the XYZ data, and resubmit it by noon on Thursday.”

Specific positive feedback reinforces desirable performance and specific negative feedback enables employees to focus on the deficiencies required to improve their work.

Impersonal

In this context, impersonal does not mean cold or unfeeling. It refers to a focus on the work rather than the person. Check out these two contrasting pairs of statements.

1. You are being lazy and need to get your work done on deadline.
2. Your last two reports were turned in late. It is important to get these in on time because they affect our ability to deliver quality service to our customers.

Yikes! That first comment is harsh and attacks the person rather than address the issue. The language we use can do the same thing in much more subtle ways.

1. I think you are wrong about that.
2. I think that is wrong. Where did you get your information?

See what an amazing difference one word can make? This can be caught more easily in written feedback, but often slips out in verbal feedback.

BUSTING FEEDBACK MYTHS

Please, please, please do not do this!

The Feedback Sandwich

Positive feedback serves as a cushion to negative feedback. A manager delivers positive feedback, then delivers critical or constructive feedback, and closes with positive feedback. While well-intended, this is conventional wisdom that is anything but wise and in the long run is decidedly unappetizing.

It is meant to soften the blow of what you’re about to say, make it easier to hear the difficult stuff, and protect someone’s feeling. It's criticism that is sugar-coated and unclear.

There are several reasons you should never use this tactic. The formula is so transparent that after you use it with an employee a time or two, they anticipate it coming. You’re conditioning your employees to hear any compliment in the framework of “uh oh, what did I do wrong now?”

Let’s face it. This method of feedback has little to do with the employee’s feelings and more to do with making the manager feel less uncomfortable. A surefire way to erode trust. You can signal good intent without diluting the message of constructive criticism far more effectively without this distasteful sandwich.

“I would be doing you a disservice as your manager if I did not share some areas you should improve to help build your skills and develop professionally. This may be difficult to hear at first but is important to discuss so you can see what you need to improve and take steps to do that. I also want to hear your perspective and partner with you on a plan of action. I am here to help you.”

Hands Off the High Performer

Another common myth is that high performers don’t need or want feedback. The concern here is that they will feel micromanaged. Instead, lack of meaningful feedback makes them feel neglected every bit as much as it does for any other employee.

These are the folks most likely to hear the vague “hey, great job” comment rather than specific feedback. They also tend to receive less documented feedback. It can be very tempting to use them as a time saver. Managers spend more time producing written feedback for under performing or average employees than they do their high performers.

Your stellar employees need feedback too, and more importantly, the right kind of feedback. Make sure you know whether your awesome employee wants to continue deepening their competencies and building on their expertise or work towards a promotion to help guide the kind of feedback you give them. Neglecting high performers risks disengagement driving down their previously high performance or their exit from your organization.

Balance is Vital

This is another “meant well” trap like the Feedback Sandwich, but much broader in execution. The conventional wisdom instructs managers to balance positive and negative feedback. But is this approach truly meaningful or fair?

If someone is truly struggling in many aspects of the job, seeking to find positive feedback to balance the negative leads to disingenuous feedback and an unrealistic view of the overall employee. You absolutely do want to note genuine instances of positivity, but employees know full well when a trivial matter is given more emphasis than it should. Scraping the barrel to find something positive to say adds insulting their intelligence to the injury. Serious under-performers also cling to any nuggets of positivity in the event of a termination and can use it to justify an unfair termination in their minds.

Likewise, the push for balance can bring stellar employees down and adversely impact their engagement with their work and the company. If an employee truly shines in all aspects of their work, why is there a need to hunt for one tiny inconsequential thing they might improve that doesn’t move the needle in a meaningful way? Managers are much better off providing such employees with more stretch opportunities than micro-criticisms of great work.

The Takeaway

The only thing worse than not making the essentials a habit or deploying Feedback Myths is providing no feedback at all. I once reported to a manager who called me “needy” when I asked for feedback and a few years later consulted for a startup that honestly believed if they made great hires their managers wouldn’t have to do much managing.

If your employees are having to ask for feedback, you need to intervene now!

Create a culture of managers with feedback habits that address each of their direct reports as unique individuals at different stages of job performance and career development. Make sure they understand the importance of documenting the great, the good, the bad, and the ugly in a way that focuses on work product and behavior rather than personality or character.

You want risk mitigation when it comes to people? Hire, train, and reward managers who are honest, direct, and helpful coaches.

Give them the time necessary to hone and execute this critical managerial skill. Managing people isn’t a side gig for employees also doing other work. Any other work the manager does is a side gig to their management responsibilities.

#manager #management #feedback #companyculture #riskmanagement #hr #humanresources #employeeengagement