Dos And Don'ts Of Delivering Feedback

It's performance review time... are you ready for it?

As a manager, one of the best things you can do for an employee is provide ongoing feedback. Not only does it help show that you value the employee, it also allows you to play an important role in their growth.

Here are the dos and don'ts of giving feedback:

Do focus on growth

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Think about growth in relation to your employee’s strengths and critical skills needed for the business.

Focus on those things the employee does well. As you think about the year ahead, what will be the most important areas for this employee to develop and how will you support their growth?

At the same time you want to talk through critical skills that are important for the business that need to be stronger, where the employee may be unskilled and needs to improve and where the employee may be strong and a skill is overused.

Do check for bias

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We all have bias. Being self-aware is critical in recognizing when bias may show up for you. Ask yourself if any bias is creeping in as you prepare to give feedback to an employee.

Some things you can do to check for bias are:

* Are you being objective? (facts vs feelings)

* Are you focused on feedback about an employee’s work performance? Your feedback should only be about an employee’s work performance.

* Are you being fair? You should be thinking about an employee’s work performance in relation to their level, role and responsibilities. Feedback should be in this context. Avoid comparisons to other people (e.g., I wish you could be more like ).

DO be mindful of what you say and how you say it

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Language matters. How we say something matters to the person/people on the receiving end. It’s important to be mindful of the impact your words may have on another person. Give thought to how what you are about to deliver might land for the person receiving feedback. Put yourself in their shoes.

Always start with a positive. We refer to it as the 3:1 ratio - 3 pieces of positive feedback for every 1 piece of constructive feedback. Remember that using the word “but” is an easy way to negate any positive feedback and undercut a compliment you share.

DO be specific

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Be specific and provide context. The most meaningful feedback is specific about a situation, calls out the behaviors that contributed to it and addresses the impact it had on others, a team, a business unit or the organization. Give details about what an employee is doing right and what they might need to improve. Be clear about expectations for the next go around. It’s important to be straightforward to avoid possible confusion. You also want to check your body language and make sure it reflects the message you are sending.

and here are some DONT's...

* Don't forget to reflect on the full 2018 year. Performance reviews are not just about their most recent accomplishments.

* Don't make broad statements.

*Don’t be afraid of pauses and periods of silence. This allows for more thoughtful and clear responses from the employee.

*Don't forget to consider and reflect on Anytime Feedback they may have received from others throughout the year.

Performance reviews start on Jan 9th. You can access them through Workday.

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