Avoid these three feedback mistakes

Imagine this...

Your employee keeps making the same mistake over and over again. You don't know what's going on. You've tried everything but nothing is working.

I've been in your shoes and I know how frustrating this is. Fortunately I might have a solution.

Chances are you're making 1 of 3 mistakes when it comes to giving feedback.

• You're not asking for explicit agreement.
• You're not being specific enough.
• You're afraid to be direct.

 

⛔️ Mistake #1: You're not asking for explicit agreement.

I tell my clients all the time. Just because you've given feedback doesn't mean your employee has heard your feedback.

Your job is to make sure that your employee sees what you're seeing.

After you share your feedback, pause and check in with your employee by asking:

"What do you think?"
"Do you agree with this feedback?"

If your employee disagrees with your feedback, get curious and ask:

"This is what I see. What do you see?"
"This is my observation. What's yours?"
"How do you see this situation?"

The goal of this exercise is for both of you to see the same problem. If you can see the same problem, then (and only then) can both of you fix it. Don't skip this step.

⛔️ Mistake #2: You're afraid to be direct.

Being direct is being kind. Your employees will appreciate if you're honest and straightforward.

I want you to start by clearly reminding your employee that the same mistakes are popping up. Here's one way:

"We've discussed this issue before and I'm still seeing the same errors pop up."

Go into "tell-mode" by using words such as "suggest", "request", "ask", "need"

"I'm requesting you to start ..."
"I'm asking you to try..."
"I suggest you try..."
"I need you to do..."

Remember, being clear is a sign of being kind. Especially with an employee who's struggling to get better.

⛔️ Mistake #3: You're not being specific enough.

Your employee isn't the problem. Their *behavior* is the problem. If you want your employee to correct their behavior, your job is to get super specific with the behavior you want them to correct.

If your employee keeps making mistakes. Don't say, “That was sloppy" or "You're always making mistakes." (even if it seems true to you). Get specific by saying, "Three of the numbers in the spreadsheet aren't accurate."

When giving feedback, your job is to target the specific behavior you want your employee to correct. Keeping it general won't help.

Learning this tactic will immediately improve your feedback (and save you from all this stress and frustration)

Keep leading.

Ali