I'm getting some feedback...

Typically, if you say the word “feedback,” I immediately tense up and am taken back to any number of awkward interactions, usually scheduled around the time of an annual review, in which I had to list my biggest accomplishments for the previous year and talk about the things I wanted to work on in the upcoming year.  The feedback I then received from my manager usually ended up being a “keep up the good work,” and “same time next year.”

Of course, the idea of feedback has changed very much.  According to Krietner and Kinicki, the two main functions of feedback should be to instruct and to motivate.  Managers who take time to provide instructional and motivational feedback to their employees are influencing individuals and as a result, building stronger teams. 

Looking to up your feedback game? Try to make your feedback: 

Timely.  It is so important to give and get feedback in a timely manner. One way to do this is to schedule regular meetings, one-on-ones, with employees. If these are already on the calendar, you do not have to call an emergency meeting or make the employee feel like they are “in trouble” because they have to meet with you.  Having regular meetings and giving regular feedback builds trust with employees and makes the feedback cycle more like a conversation. If you can give instruction or advice on something an employee is currently working on, they can take action to make immediate adjustments.  If you waited a few months, the employee might have moved on to another project or group, and will not be able to apply the feedback in the same way.

Honest.  It is important to be honest when giving feedback; however, honest feedback needs to be presented in a way that is constructive for the employee.  A few years ago, I asked my employees to do online “anonymous” peer reviews to provide feedback about each other.  I decided, in the spirit of efficiency, to share the results directly with the employee.  Needless to say, this did NOT go exactly as I had planned.  The employees focused mostly on the negative things their peers said about them, and in most cases, they easily figured out who said what.  It made for a long road of drama, which I, the manager, had inadvertently caused.  Since then, I collect the online reviews and provide a verbal summary of the feedback.  That way, I can provide some input and coaching along with the message.  Sometimes managers shy away from giving employees tough feedback.  It is easier to say “good job,” and leave the tough stuff out.  In our course text, one study mentions the positive and negative impact of feedback.  In the study, the people who received negative feedback took it as a challenge to do better, while the people who received positive feedback did not see any need to improve, so they didn’t (Krietner & Kinicki, 2016).

Constructive. Another important characteristic of feedback, whether positive or negative, is that it includes some building blocks, or next steps, that the employee can start working on immediately and report back on in the next meeting. For employees who are struggling with a particular, the next steps will be easy to identify.  These action items should be documented, so that both parties (manager and employee) are clear on the upcoming tasks and goals.  For employees who are doing well, you have a little more flexibility.  I usually ask my employees what they would like to learn or what type of role they see themselves in next, and we work together to plan the next steps for a training plan or job shadowing schedule.  It is important to have input from both sides – manager and employee – to strengthen the commitment to the goal.

Resources:

Kreitner, Robert, and Kinicki, Angelo.  (2016). Theories of Organizational Behavior.  New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.