Ironically, one of the critical aspects of leadership is developing the leadership abilities of others. Some leaders see employee feedback as either praise or criticism and never utilize one of the most powerful ways to develop others – developmental feedback. Many business leaders are reluctant to give feedback and might avoid direct conversations because they don’t know exactly what to say and/or how to say it without sounding confrontational or negative.
Often, business leaders choose passive methods for giving feedback like communicating important feedback via email (where an employee might not fully understand the intended tone and doesn’t have the opportunity to ask immediate questions). Another poor approach is what I call a “drive-by.” This method usually involves a leader quickly blurting out information while walking away. Like communicating through email, this approach doesn’t provide the opportunity for a genuine conversation or the opportunity for an employee to ask questions or get clarification.
Developmental feedback, however, can empower you as a leader, improve communication between you and your team, strengthen relationships, improve customer service, and drive results. Using a structured approach to giving feedback can ensure you communicate clearly and cover all of your points. It can also provide an opportunity for you to show support and encouragement and share praise
There are two categories of developmental feedback, one is reinforcing (when you ‘catch someone doing something right’ and you want to acknowledge their positive contribution so they continue to behave this way). The other category is redirecting (when you observe a mistake or poor performance and need to correct the behavior).
Consider these five steps when giving either reinforcing or redirecting feedback:
1: Check in first. Instead of telling, try asking. It might seem surprising, but the best way to offer developmental feedback is to start with a question. Ask an open-ended question to better understand the employee’s point of view and to learn more about his/her motivation for acting the way they did. To start the conversation, you could ask something like, “I want to get your take on our new timesheets, are you having any challenges completing them?”
2: What is the standard for behavior? Once you’ve asked an open-ended question and heard the response, you can remind him/her about your expectations of their behavior. For example, “I need everybody to complete their timesheets by Friday at 2pm so I can process the payroll for the entire team.
3: What did you observe? State the behavior or action you observed and be as objective as possible. Don’t speak in universal terms like, “You always do this” or “You never do this.” Comment on this particular situation and use a real example of observed behavior. Say something like, “I noticed that you submitted your timesheet at 6pm for the last two weeks,” as an example of redirecting feedback, or “I want to thank you for submitting your timesheets on time for the past month.
4: What is the impact? Explain the specific impact that his/her behavior has on colleagues, customers, or a work process – whatever makes sense for the situation. Instead of saying something vague like, “You’re unprofessional” say something like, “When you submit your timesheet late, it holds up the payroll process and then some people won’t get their checks until Saturday” or “Because you submitted your timesheets by the deadline, I was able to process the payroll and pay everyone on time this month.”
5: Reinforce or Redirect. Explain why you want them to continue their behavior, if you’re reinforcing. You could simply say something like, “Thanks again for making the deadline.” If you’re redirecting, you could say something like, “If you’d like, I can remind you on Thursday to start completing your timesheet so you can make the Friday deadline. Does that work for you?”
Following reinforcing or redirecting feedback, you should always end on a positive note to motivate the listener. Use statements like, “Eventually, completing your timesheet will be quick, we’re all adjusting to the new form.”
Timing is everything. Make sure you’re in the right frame of mind when you give feedback. If you’re tired or angry, your emotions might sneak into your words and/or body language. Also consider the timing for the listener. Are you trying to catch someone when they’re walking out the door or feel terrible because they just made a major mistake? Try to give feedback when someone is relaxed and open to hearing your ideas.
Timing is also important regarding how often you give feedback. Don’t wait until an annual performance review to give feedback. Give feedback often; make it a part of your regular leadership approach. This five-step feedback process might seem cumbersome at first, but with a little practice, it will get easier. Add developmental feedback to your leadership toolkit and, in addition to driving results, you’ll be strengthening your human resources.
- Holly Landau is a leadership expert, former US Army Officer, and CEO of Landau Leadership
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