Negative feedback – it’s not something that most people look forward to sharing!
It’s easy to procrastinate and find plenty of reasons to avoid it. However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it. In fact, procrastinating is one of the worst things that you can do, because the longer something is avoided, the worse the situation can get.
Do you recall a time when you worked in a team and there was someone who wasn’t performing? If not, imagine how it would feel to work alongside someone who was not doing what was needed in their role. How would you feel if the manager did nothing about it? Especially if you were having to put in extra work to correct your colleagues’ mistakes or pick up work that wasn’t finished.
You can see clearly from this example that avoiding the issue is causing a wider problem than the work performance itself. It is impacting everyone!
Although it is difficult to say negative things to someone, it’s worth remembering that your team can only thrive if you give them direction and feedback.
You might be surprised to hear that according to one study, 83% of employees say that they appreciate both positive and negative feedback.
The problem with the entire concept of giving negative feedback and, in fact the title of this blog, is the word negative!
Feedback is a method of giving your team the tools that they need to improve and become great at their job! The quote “feedback is a gift” is certainly is true. It may not feel that way when the time comes to share the gift of feedback, however, the key to this is approaching it in the right way… With the right mindset.
So, how do you give negative feedback in a way that is positive and beneficial?
5 Top Tips for Sharing Negative Feedback
1. Be Direct
The best approach is to be direct. There is nothing worse than someone waffling about a problem and you not understanding the point that they are trying to make.
The person is more likely to listen to your comments if you are clear about the specific problem and how to change the situation.
Avoid the “feedback sandwich” which is commonly recommended. The feedback sandwich is where you surround criticisms with compliments. Although it is nice to give some positive feedback to soften the blow, you want them to walk away with a clear vision of what the issue is and what they need to work on. So, opening with some genuine positive feedback is a great way to start but once you get into the changes that are needed, don’t go back with more positives. Leave them with a clear message around the next steps.
2. Encourage Self-Reflection
Most people critique their own work performance. In fact, people can be their own worst critic.
So, rather than telling someone where they have made mistakes. It’s better to ask their view on how they are doing. What has gone well and what improvements they would like to make.
Your feedback will be more effective if it does not feel like an attack but more of a conversation.
It is also likely that they already have ideas on how to solve the problem, but for various reasons are not implementing them. People will generally be more invested in their growth if they feel that they have an input, so it is important to listen to their ideas before you share your own.
3. Don’t Make it Personal
It’s important to avoid any “personal” statements when you’re giving criticism or offering the gift of feedback. Personal statements are more likely to make your employees feel defensive. As tempting as it may be to say that you’re disappointed that they are not trying harder, try to focus on the job and factual statements.
The focus should always be on the wider company, the way that things are affecting the business, and the employees.
4. Explain the Implications
Just because you can see how serious a problem is, doesn’t mean your team members can.
That’s why it’s so important to discuss or explain the implications of the issue and why your team member needs to make a change.
For instance, if you have a team member that’s constantly sending emails with typos to clients, you could tell them that this isn’t good for the company image, but they may not realise how serious that is.
Instead, try focusing on evidence of how it could make a difference to the company.
For example, you could say, “typos in messages may be concerning for our clients as they may think that we are not concerned with quality, which as you know is not the message we want to send.”
Or better still, ask them “how do you think customers might view this?”, and work through their thoughts on the matter.
It helps for team members to see how their actions are affecting the business as a whole and even the other people in their team.
5. Help Them Improve
Finally, giving negative feedback is only a good idea when you can support your staff members with ways to improve and grow.
The last thing you should do is simply tell someone that you are unhappy with their work and leave it at that.
Employees should always be given the chance to evolve and grow whilst feeling supported.
For example, if you tell your team member, “we’re not happy with the number of calls you made yesterday,” this lets them know the problem, but not much else.
Alternatively, if you say, “I noticed you made fewer calls than usual yesterday. What might have caused that?”. Here, you are exploring how improvements can be made.
If your employee cannot offer a suggestion themselves, ensure that you have ideas on how they can make a positive change.
So, What Next?
Keep these strategies in mind for the next time you need to deliver some negative feedback. Putting it into a positive light, whilst still getting your point across, will help!
If you need some help with leading your team, leadership coaching could help. Book a call with me to find out more.