Commentary: Offer Employees Feedback That Fosters Growth
The traditional systems and practices of performance management have outlived their use. And, the often intimidating, annual performance review is an enormous stressor for American workers.
So, how can we improve how we manage performance? We give feedback that is more frequent, more humane, less awkward, and more timely.
According to a Gallup publication from 2017, timely feedback is more likely to be helpful and feel constructive, and delayed feedback seems more like evaluation and criticism. Gallup’s database of 60-plus-million employees delivered findings showing when leaders provide daily feedback (versus annual feedback) their employees are:
- Six times more likely to agree that the feedback is meaningful.
- Six times more likely to agree that they are motivated to do outstanding work.
- Three times more likely to be engaged at work.
To avoid giving feedback that is received as judgmental or too vague to be constructive, consider the Feedback Frame:
Build rapport. If your employee does not feel safe and supported, then giving feedback is meaningless.
Acknowledge what is working well first. Employees will feel valued and encouraged to refine their strengths.
Be specific. Just telling someone they did a nice job on that project today might be great for morale, but it isn’t useful feedback. An example of specific feedback: “What I noticed worked well was you immediately called the client today to express your project concerns, and to offer a technical solution.”
Keep it short. Limit your feedback to a couple of items. People can optimally process about three chunks of information at one time.
Keep it equal. If you list one thing that’s working, list one thing you’d like to see more of.
And, introduce feedback with these phrases:
“What worked/What’s working is …”
“What I’d like to see more of is …”
Source: Christine Comaford, Forbes contributor