Giving Feedback
Easy, Right?
The concept of giving feedback is simple: you want to let people know when they are doing a stellar job so that they can receive praise, and conversely, let people know when they are not performing to your standards so that you can begin to help them improve.
The truth is that giving feedback well is very difficult to do. It’s easy to see why giving negative feedback is tough: it might not land well, it might upset the other party; it essentially creates conflict. Yet, giving positive feedback can also be challenging. It’s awkward telling people they’re amazing!
Mastering the art of giving feedback has a number of benefits. Your employees know where they stand — both star performers and those who need to do better. Practiced regularly, feedback also strengthens the emotional bond between you and your staff because giving honest feedback requires honesty and trust.
What Happens When You Don’t Give Good Feedback
Let’s start with an example. Susan is leading a team of engineers, and something seems to be up with one of her staff, Ann. It seems that Ann just doesn’t seem to be giving it her all in…
