The feedback managers provide employees plays a significant role in performance, engagement, and retention. Without regular, constructive input, people are more likely to feel overlooked, undervalued and struggle meeting expectations long-term.
Unfortunately, leaders don’t inherently understand how to provide feedback in ways that motivate teams. As talent developers, we must coach managers to make feedback processes personal, supportive and focused on future growth.
Guiding Principles for Providing Feedback
These foundational principles help frame effective mindsets:
• Feedback should empower people and reinforce shared vision, not dictate steps forward. The goal is to align on development areas together.
• Ideally feedback is exchanged fluidly among teams, not just delivered top-down at formal reviews. Ongoing conversations remove surprise moments.
• Focus on specific behaviors and results, not personality judgments. Be analytical discussing what is working or needs adjustment – not qualitative opinions.
• Comments should reflect organizational competencies so people clearly grasp expectations. Connect feedback explicitly to models.
• Feedback works best when goals have been co-defined early on. Reference agreed success measures and trajectory.
Impactful Delivery Methods
Use these methods to resonate:
• Schedule face-to-face conversations in comfortable environments without distractions to demonstrate importance of feedback and facilitate open sharing.
• Frame constructive suggestions for growth as supportive coaching, not critical judgment. Briefly recognize strengths first before addressing improvement areas.
• Incorporate reflective listening skills to better understand context around behaviors and acknowledge emotional responses before realigning tactfully.
• Capture notes during sessions to quantify progress against competencies. Share follow-up memos recapping convos to validate key points.
• Set calendar reminders to reassess growth more frequently. Consistent positive reinforcement develops capabilities faster.
Managing organizational change and performance hinge on a culture of continuous feedback, so the more managers communicate with consideration, clarity and compassion, the more teams will thrive.
Tomuz Academy
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