Giving Feedback to employees -
The first step is to think about if your employee needs appreciation, mentoring or evaluation.
Appreciation is very straightforward, who doesn’t like to be appreciated? The trick is to get in quick. If an employee does something well, notice and appreciate the act. Tell them quickly why the memory is fresh for both of you.
This will reinforce their behaviour to do more of the same. Acting quickly and positively will build better relationships. New employees or employees working on a project for the first time will benefit greatly from feeling appreciated.
When we mentor our employees we are trying to help them learn and grow. They may deliver a speech and struggle in some of the presentations. This would be a good time to mentor and show how they can improve.
Finally, we have the evaluation - this is when we let our employees know where they stand. We can let them know if they are meeting expectations or not.
When in any of the situations you need to remember one key thing - There are three aspects to consider - You, what you will say - your employee and either the problem or act you are appraising.
Many employers focus on the problem and not the employee. Do this and you will alienate the other person. If your employee feels unlistened to they will resent your advice. The last thing wanted is a meeting that ends in frustration and the employee feels attacked.
The way forward is always to let your employees know your intentions. Side with them to work on the problem. You want them to do well, you are in their corner, let them know.
If your employee expresses concerns, repeat what they tell you, this reinforces that you have listened. Loo at the concerns and ask for feedback on what the employee sees as a solution. Very often the employee has better ideas as they are on the ground floor seeing problems as they happen.
When you listen to your employee try to see their point of view. Do not judge, instead show you empathise with them. This will reduce stress and allow for a better understanding of each other.
Add praise whenever you can, people love to be praised. Obviously not for every little detail as people will start to block it out. In study’s, 80% of managers say they praise regularly however on 20% of employees say they hear the praise.
Effective managers give way more praise than criticism. A study at the University of Michigan found the highest performing teams received 5.6 times more praise for every criticism.
Praise is most effective when the recognition is because the act benefitted the team. When an employee works on something they are good at for part of their job, they get rewarded anyway for doing their job, when the task benefits the whole team, this is a great time to praise.
Letting employees know how they benefit others creates awareness of how they impact the whole business.
Praise your employees for benefitting the team and they will be hungry to do more. The more the team benefits the stronger the company grows as a unit.
The hardest part of feedback is when the conversation starts with a negative and a difficult. Always give negative feedback on a 1-2-1 basis the only exception is when the issue concerns the whole team.
When addressing a team, be careful not to single out just one person.
When I coach my employees it is always with a growth mindset, this shows them that everything they need to improve can be learned. For instance, if an employee didn’t sell a product. I wouldn’t tell him he was terrible at sales and a bad negotiator.
Read more at www.taylormadecoaching.co.uk
