This week’s Fierce resource was originally published by Entrepreneur and shares five steps for giving productive feedback that helps employees grow.
Providing open and honest feedback to colleagues and employees is the most important element of growth and professional development. However, providing this feedback consistently is not always easy for both manager and employee. Many people cringe at the words, “Can I give you some feedback?”
It is dependent on the manager to create enough trust and rapport with their reports to alleviate the fear and anxiety that is associated with a feedback conversation. By managing feedback in a positive way that helps the employee understand that feedback is meant to improve their performance and develop their skills, the individual receiving the feedback can approach the conversation calm and ready to listen.
Per Scott Halford, there are five tips managers can exercise to create productive feedback that sticks:
1. Create Safety. Research from Columbia University neuroscientists shows that if the person receiving the feedback does not feel comfortable, they are 70% more likely to not apply the feedback into their life.
2. Be Positive. Approach the conversation carefully and be sure to remain positive, which helps facilitate a sense of safety. If applicable, include just as much positive feedback as negative, if not more.
“Positive feedback stimulates the reward centers in the brain, leaving the recipient open to taking new direction. Meanwhile, negative feedback indicates that an adjustment needs to be made and the threat response turns on and defensiveness sets in.”
3. Be Specific. The more specific and clear the feedback is, the more likely the recipient is to act upon it. Ambiguity can kill the best of intentions when trying to create change and develop skills.
Read the other two tips and the entire article here.
Tags: #Confused Priorities, #Dishonesty, #Lack Of Transparency, #Unproductive Employees
