Delivering Feedback

Feedback is a gift, and great leaders give it generously. It shouldn't be limited to performance cycles or done once or twice a year. Rather, it should be an ongoing thing. The more you delay feedback, the harder it becomes to deliver, and the sooner you deliver it, the more time the individual has to act on it.

Many managers tend to avoid difficult conversations. They wrap the constructive feedback around layers of praise (praise, feedback, praise). This can give the impression that things are generally good, and the feedback may be ignored or not be taken as seriously. This method of providing feedback, which involves sandwiching constructive criticism with praise, is unfortunately used too often and can make the feedback less effective. The individual might even miss the fact that any feedback was given altogether. It is crucial to give feedback directly and provide specific examples to communicate clearly.

To avoid communication gaps when delivering constructive feedback, it is suggested to provide it in a written format and communicate it verbally as well. This will make it a lot easier to avoid expectation misalignment.

As a manager, you need to identify when a behavior is a one-time occurrence or if it is a behavior pattern. It is not always necessary to give feedback if something happens once. This is most likely a ...