Delivering Feedback

Feedback is a gift, and effective leaders offer it generously. It shouldn’t be confined to performance cycles or given just once or twice a year. Instead, it should be a continuous practice. The longer you wait to give feedback, the harder it becomes to share, and the sooner it’s delivered, the more time the individual has to act on it.

Many managers tend to avoid difficult conversations. They wrap the constructive feedback around layers of praise (praise, feedback, praise). This can give the impression that things are generally good, and the feedback may be ignored or not taken seriously. This method of providing feedback, which involves sandwiching constructive criticism with praise, is unfortunately used too often and can make the feedback less effective. The individual might even miss the fact that any feedback was given at all. It is, therefore, crucial to give feedback directly and provide specific examples to communicate clearly.

To avoid communication gaps when delivering constructive feedback, it is suggested to provide it in written format and communicate it verbally as well. This will make it much easier to avoid expectation misalignment.

As a manager, you need to identify when a behavior is a one-time occurrence or a behavior pattern. It is not always necessary to give feedback if something happens once. This is most likely a chance occurrence or a slip-up. However, if a negative behavior becomes a pattern, it is time to step in and deliver actionable feedback. It also depends upon the type of issue; some behaviors may need stronger feedback, even if they only happen once. ...