Feedback is essential for the success of any organization. One of the goals of an effective leader is assisting his/her team members to grow and succeed. Providing feedback is an important tool for guiding people as they seek to improve performance and develop new skills or behaviors.

In a previous article we discussed four choices for feedback and made the point that positive feedback and corrective feedback were important tools for helping team members grow. Another article on feedback identifies five styles and made the case that we should seek to provide growth-oriented feedback.

Some people shy away from giving feedback. They might not understand the benefit of providing positive feedback, so they deem it unnecessary. Providing corrective or constructive feedback is sometimes difficult, especially for those that haven’t honed their skills for doing so. Effective leaders understand the benefit of liberally providing both positive and corrective feedback. Positive feedback demonstrates appreciation for the effort and value for the person. Corrective feedback, when done well, demonstrates the desire to help the team member to grow.

Here are ten tips on giving effective feedback:

• Focus on performance, not the personality.Feedback should always be given in reference to specific actions or behaviors. We are either expressing appreciation for an action and the resulting benefit in positive feedback or we are discussing an action or behavior that we want to see improved. “You’re so smart” is not nearly as valuable as “I really appreciated the way that you helped the team come to that conclusion.” With the latter feedback the person understands the action and the benefit to the team. Regarding corrective feedback, a statement such as “The project was not delivered on time, which resulted in a big cost penalty from our customer” can lead to a discussion of reasons and corrective action. “You really messed up that project, as usual” is likely to prompt a defensive argument.
• Emphasize facts, not feelings. “We have received seven complaints about missed deliveries” has more value than “You really disappoint me.” Facts verify the reality behind the discussion and, again, keep the discussion from becoming a personal matter.
• Focus on the individual effort.Often the workplace includes team efforts. If the feedback is about the team’s results, the discussion needs to include the team. If the feedback is for an individual on the team, the discussion needs to focus on that person’s specific actions or his/her specific contribution to the team’s effort. Unless there is evidence that one person single-handedly impacted the team’s results, it is unfair and disheartening to be confronted with the team’s performance.
• Feedback is best served warm.In other words, provide feedback as soon as possible after (or even during) the activity. The longer the time gap between the action and the feedback, the harder it will be for the recipient to tie the two together. The impact or benefit of the feedback is much reduced if the person has difficulty in recalling all of the facts regarding the action due to lapsed time.
• Be clear, direct, and specific.A discussion that is focused on specific action or behavior and the specific results leads to a more productive analysis of the cause and a better definition of the specific action plan required to improve. Speaking in generalities ends with little understanding and minimal impact on the future. Feedback takes time to have value.
• Focus on the fix.The goal of feedback is not to criticize a person or to gather a history. The goal is to help the recipient to grow and improve. The discussion of the situation or the past history is just to establish the need for an action plan. Therefore, the discussion should be weighted in favor of the future, with positive expectations for improvement and growth.
• Use your words wisely.Feedback should be a respectful, professional discussion aimed at producing a positive outcome. Our language and behavior should be in line with this objective. Better to use the word “I” in demonstrating the impact and refrain from using the word “you”, which can sound judgmental of the person rather than the behavior.
• Provide feedback in digestible doses.If we expect our feedback to have an impact on future performance, it is better for the recipient to walk away with one action plan regarding one issue. Storing up several items for discussion results in a confusing mess for the recipient to sort out after the discussion.
• Make it a two-way conversation.With a goal of developing an action plan for improved performance, the feedback session needs to be a dialogue, not a monologue. People are more likely to implement an action plan that they have developed than one that is forced upon them. Therefore, once the issue has been identified and agreed upon, the feedback discussion works best when the leader moves to a coaching role, helping the recipient identify and own the cause of the problem and the action plan for improvement. It goes without saying that feedback is done best face-to-face or at least person-to-person, never via text, email, or letter.
• Balance negative or corrective feedback with praise or positive feedback.People respond more strongly to negative statements than to positive statements. That’s why relationships are stronger when positive statements outweigh negative statements by a factor of 5:1 or even 8:1. Even when giving corrective feedback, the leader should find some positive things to say about the other person, the part of the process that was done correctly, a belief in their ability to improve, etc. When a person only hears negative comments or criticism from a boss, they lose heart and look for the door.

When done well, both positive feedback and corrective feedback can feel like positive interaction that is beneficial to the recipient and result in growth and improved performance. Done well, they both identify the behavior that is valued and expected. And move show the value that the leader places upon the team member and the desire to assist in building their future.

(If you found this article helpful, you may also enjoy a similar article in another blog that I write.)

Are you consistently providing effective feedback to your team members?