I like the wind. It can be gentle like rustling leaves or forceful like a tornado. The wind itself is not something we can see or hold, yet it contains so much power and greatly impacts its environment.
Much like the words we say.
“Sticks and stones may break my bones,
but words will never hurt me.”
I beg to differ. When feedback isn’t done well, it can have a destructive impact on the individual and the workplace.
Focus Feedback on Behavior Descriptions; not Labels
Rather than provide constructive feedback about an employee’s behavior, managers sometimes fall into the trap of labeling the employee him/herself. This leads to resentment and lower performance.
|
Situation |
Bad Feedback |
Good Feedback |
|
Jack frequently comes in 15-20 minutes late to his shift. |
Jack – it’s so unprofessional when you show up late and the team isn’t happy about it. |
Jack – being late causes others to pick up the slack. Your job requires you to be on time every day so we can all share the work of the team. |
|
Lisa prioritizes her favorite projects first, even if daily work is more urgent to accomplish. |
Lisa – you appear to like to pick and choose your work. We don’t do it that way here. Get the daily work done. |
Lisa – last week you did not complete an urgent request from Tyler, which caused delays to the customer. Please ensure you balance your daily duties with any ad hoc requests and reach out if you need help prioritizing. |
|
Juan’s workstation is disorganized and it’s hard for team members to partner with him on projects. |
Juan – your work area is a total mess – did a tornado come through? Clean it up please. |
Juan – Not being organized may cause problems for others when they work with you. Can I suggest ways to organize your workstation? |
Something to think about: When your wind blows (i.e. you give feedback)… will it be productive like a windmill, or destructive like a hurricane?
