Constructive feedback can be taxing for both managers and employees. While it is not easy, it is vital for managers who want their employees to grow. Feedback can help boost staff performance and create a solid team.
However, this beneficial conversation can quickly become harmful. If you do it the wrong way, you can destroy your team’s self-esteem. Giving proper supportive feedback is a skill that every leader must learn, and we’ll show you how in this guide.
We will cover tips for giving feedback that will help boost productivity in your workplace. Before we begin, let’s look into why this type of feedback is necessary.
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Why is constructive feedback so important?
Constructive feedback helps ensure growth among employees and the company in many ways. First, supportive feedback points employees to areas of improvement.
By knowing what you expect from them and getting a proper plan, they learn ways to correct their skills and boost their careers.
When you deliver feedback in a supportive and emphatic way, you can build trust between employees and managers. Combining constructive feedback with praise helps keep the communication lines open.
This will allow both parties to share ideas and work together to solve issues.
Next, frequent constructive feedback urges team members to constantly improve and learn. When staff know the importance of feedback, they are open to critical thinking. This will ensure they find innovative solutions to issues.
With this mindset, your company will easily adapt to changes in the ever-growing business sector.
Lastly, constructive feedback benefits all your team members and, ultimately, your business. When all your employees get proper guidance, it results in a better work environment.
Your team members will understand the goals of your business and work together better. Therefore, the entire team is more productive and works towards achieving your company’s goals.
7 Steps to give constructive feedback
Now, you know the benefits of supportive feedback. Here’s how to do it right in your company.
1. Pick the right location and time
Constructive feedback is not fun for both parties, but the employee has it worse. Therefore, it is your job as a superior to make it comfortable. Pick a location that will make the employee feel comfortable.
It is not helpful to give feedback in the presence of co-workers who don’t have to be present. This way, the employee won’t have to deal with any embarrassment in front of other team members.
The timing is also crucial when it comes to feedback. There is no right time, so we suggest giving the feedback as soon as possible. For instance, the moment you notice an event that requires feedback.
If you delay the supportive feedback, it may not have as much impact as it should when you finally decide to go ahead.
Once both are in place, get rid of all distractions like phones and email notifications.
This will ensure there is no interruption that can break the flow of the message you are trying to pass across. Finally, make sure you inform the staff about the meeting ahead of time so they can be mentally prepared.
If you blindside them with the meeting, they could become defensive, making the feedback ineffective.
2. Use a supportive approach
Nobody loves criticism, no matter how truthful it may be. If you are harsh with feedback, team members may begin to feel like failures. This can affect their ability to work and cause more problems down the line.
Instead, take a supportive approach, and you can transform this uncomfortable situation into a motivating one. Ultimately, team members will leave with more zeal to get better, knowing that you genuinely care.
Setting up the approach begins right from when you schedule the meeting. Ensure they know what the meeting is about and what you hope to achieve.
For instance, say the aim of the meeting is to help them improve their time management skills. Then, the feedback would cover areas they can adjust to meet deadlines and stop slowing down others.
Below are a few more tips for setting a supportive approach:
a. Be emotionally intelligent
Before you proceed, consider the feelings of your employees. Are they in the right frame of mind? Ask yourself how you can pass the message without breaking their spirits.
Also, consider your feelings too. If you are currently unhappy, then it may not be the right time to give feedback. Doing so at this point can negatively affect how you deliver the message and, ultimately, the recipient.
b. Leave communication open
Once the meeting is over, let the employee know that you are available to answer any more questions and provide help. Better still, provide resources that they can use for improvement.
For instance, using the example above, recommend time management workshops and books that you believe can help.
c. Focus on positive results
Show that you have faith in the ability of the employee to do better. This will help make them feel more confident knowing that you believe in them.
With a supportive approach, you can help employees see the areas they can grow and how you can help them.
It’s a fact that many employees leave their jobs because there are no growth opportunities. Your managers can counter this in your business using this approach, which offers the added benefit of better employee retention.
3. Give specific instances
When giving supportive feedback to an employee, you need to give specific instances of the situation. This applies even if you are trying to give feedback on performance, skill, or behavior.
However, it’s best to focus on the employee’s behavior and the result instead of their person. Don’t forget that they may be dealing with personal issues that are affecting their output.
For instance, if an employee has problems communicating with team members, your feedback shouldn’t be “you need to communicate better.”
Instead, give them several instances when their lack of communication disrupted the workflow or caused problems with clients.
Then, you can cover any reasons they have for their inability to communicate properly and tips to improve their communication skills. You can also take it a step further by letting them know how their shortcomings affect other members of the team.
This can help motivate them to become better team players.
Documenting your discussion is a great idea at this point. You can the employee can use it to monitor the progress and for follow-up during subsequent meetings.
4. Combine criticism and praise
As we already discussed, constructive feedback can have a negative effect if not done right. Another crucial strategy is to combine criticism with praise.
This shows the employee that even though they have some shortcomings, there are areas they excel in, and you appreciate their contributions.
We recommend using the “Sandwich” approach for this supportive feedback.
Here’s how it works:
Begin on a positive note by pointing out their areas of strength with specific examples. For instance, share an example of how their innovativeness got the business new clients.
Gradually move to the Constructive Feedback
Begin by saying there is room for improvement. For example, your time management skills could use some improvement, such as focusing on key tasks first.
Go back to Praise and Encouragement
Show the employee that you believe in their ability to take criticism and work on it. You can give an instance of how they improved on something they were doing wrong after the last feedback.
Using this technique, your team members feel appreciated and don’t assume they are not doing everything wrong.
5. Let your employees speak
Supportive feedback does not involve only you. Instead, give your employees time to respond and give their opinions. This way, you both can have a conversation and work toward solving the issue at hand.
What’s more, this makes the constructive feedback process feel less like a session for criticism and more like a meeting for improvement.
So, how can you ensure that conversations involve both parties during a meeting? Here are some tips:
These types of questions allow respondents to express themselves. For instance, what’s slowing down your work progress?
Use Active Listening
Here, you validate their feelings and be emphatic about the reasons for their poor performance.
Also, don’t interrupt employees when they are expressing their feelings. Instead, nod or use other forms of non-verbal communication to show you understand. Once they are through, you can then speak.
You don’t have to agree with everything they have to say. Instead, make sure they understand that they’ve been heard and that you understand how they feel.
6. Set actionable goals
Constructive feedback only works if there are actionable steps in place to correct the issue. Therefore, suggesting the next steps through actionable goals for employees to achieve will give them the needed direction.
Setting goals also gives the employee a roadmap and direction to work towards while holding them accountable. Here are strategies to keep in mind when suggesting goals that help team members grow:
Use a document you can both access to set the goals. This will give both parties the chance to add comments, contribute, and add updates as needed.
Focus on one thing at a time
Team members may have many shortcomings you must address during meetings. However, working on everything at once can be overwhelming and cause burnout without positive results. Instead, pick one and let the employee work towards it.
7. Always follow up
You need to hold your team members accountable if you want to see results. To do this, regularly check in with them to see if they are making progress. It is also a great way to learn if there are other areas they would like to improve in their career.
To properly follow up with your team, try the following tips:
- Schedule a one-on-one meeting to follow up
- Use the written goals to review the past discussions so you know where to begin
- Acknowledge noticeable areas of improvement after the last discussion
- Ask if they have questions or other feedback
- Finalise the action plan and share with your team
The constructive feedback process is a continuous one. If you keep it consistent, you’ll become better at making team members feel comfortable during the process. They’ll be eager to listen and make changes so you both can reap the benefits.
Conclusion
Proper feedback shows your employees that you care about their performance and want to make them feel better. However, when giving constructive feedback, you want to be cautious so it does not become destructive.
We’ve listed important steps on how to provide constructive feedback in your organization. If you pick the right time and focus on the situation instead of the individual – you can help them become more productive.
Once that’s done, all you need to do is sit back and enjoy the benefits of a highly motivated team!