You need to rethink your approach to giving feedback
Feedback is regarded as a useful tool in business environments. It can come in many forms – manager to employee, colleague to colleague, customer to company – but the aim is always the same: to foster communication, efficiency and growth. Companies around the world use feedback to help align expectations, to improve performance and to drive the organization forward.
However, feedback is like any tool – its effectiveness is determined by the skill and experience of the user. How feedback is delivered, received and processed is important; poorly managed feedback can wreck morale and hinder productivity.
What you want feedback to achieve
Every business should provide employees with a clear understanding of how they are performing and what is expected of them. By identifying an individual’s strengths and weaknesses, a company can provide a foundation for personal and professional development, leading to higher productivity, job satisfaction and skill improvement.
Open communication between management and staff builds trust and strengthens relationships. Employees feel more valued when their contributions are recognized, and they appreciate constructive advice that helps them grow. This can create a more transparent and collaborative workplace culture.
When employees are praised for their efforts, they feel more engaged and motivated to continue working hard. Recognition boosts morale and can lead to higher retention rates, as employees are more likely to stay with an organization where they feel appreciated.
Employees feel more valued when their contributions are recognized, and they appreciate constructive advice that helps them grow.
And when workers feel empowered to share their ideas, it can lead to new solutions, process improvements and product innovations that benefit the entire organization.
Poorly delivered feedback can be demotivating and damaging, especially if it feels harsh or personal. Resentment, anxiety and even a decrease in performance can result if employees feel undervalued or targeted.
Feedback overload should also be avoided. Constant critique, often without proper context, can overwhelm employees and may lead to stress, burnout or frustration, leading to some employees resisting feedback processes, especially if they view it as criticism rather than an opportunity for growth.
This can create tension in the workplace, with employees either ignoring the feedback or becoming defensive. When feedback is not well received, it can fail to achieve its intended impact.
Many things to many people
When conducting the research for my book, Can I Offer You Something?, I discovered that a huge challenge in making feedback an effective tool is the word itself; the meaning of the term has been muddied by a variety of things being labeled ‘feedback’.
Before doing anything else, define your desired outcome. Clarity helps everyone.
Since the concept of feedback was first applied to humans in the 1950s, the term has evolved into a catch-all for criticism and praise, opinions and judgments, suggestions and instructions. Confusion among those delivering and those receiving feedback is hardly surprising.
In my work as an organizational psychologist, I’ve come across many examples of people getting in their own way and unintentionally sabotaging the feedback process. Some believe they are being clear when the opposite is reality, and the fear of micromanaging causes others to dilute feedback to the point that it is ineffectual. Managers and staff are all left frustrated.
A different approach
My research revealed that most people want a relational rather than transactional experience with feedback. What should be aimed for is a conversation that provides clarity about expected performance and uses perspectives to leverage opportunities. This starts with ditching the word ‘feedback’ and becoming clear about what is being offered.
Before doing anything else, define your desired outcome. Clarity helps everyone.
Do you want a particular action to be carried out or delivered? Or is your aim to merely share thoughts that may be useful in certain scenarios? If you want something to be done by a certain time, be clear about it. Know in your own mind when you are issuing an instruction and when you are making a suggestion.
Three of the most common outcomes that get muddled under the label of ‘feedback’ are when giving a direction, instruction or perspective.
Direction: Ensure that your people know that what you are asking them to do has to be done and, if appropriate, that they have autonomy to decide how it’s done and that support is available if required.
Instruction: If there are specific steps or processes – perhaps because of safety regulations or compliance requirements – that must be included in a particular task, you must be explicit with your staff about how things need to be done. You also need to be clear about consequences (for the company and individuals) if these steps or processes are not followed.
Perspective: This is where you convey how you experience things from your point of view, and when the person receiving this information has the autonomy and choice of what to do with the information, without concern of punitive consequence. A perspective is neither true nor false, neither right nor wrong; however, it may be useful to consider for the good of relationships, wellbeing and performance.
When you have nailed your desired outcome and worked out your approach, you need to consider how your message will be delivered and received best. Some people prefer to receive comments in writing first, giving them the chance to reflect; others like to talk over things first and follow up with questions later.
Your people know what works for them, so ask them: What’s your preferred way for me to share perspectives with you?
Feedback can cause anxiety and uncertainty, but this doesn’t mean it is not useful and that people don’t want it. To get the best out of staff, it is important to stop giving feedback and start using perspectives.