Leader’s Toolkit: Top 10 Communication Mistakes when Delivering Performance Feedback (part 1)
Let’s talk performance! This isn’t usually at the top of your to-do list. The proper planning, time and energy involved is stressful, for you and your staff. In this anxiety-ridden environment, it’s no wonder we make mistakes! The problem is that we don’t communicate performance successes and improvements often enough.
Fundamentally, feedback is a tool that helps us celebrate successes and improve strengths. Sharing your point of view gives others insight and an advantage on their ongoing work performance. Wait too long to share and you may have lost the lead for your team!
Delivering performance feedback can be very rewarding and stress-free; yet so many have a hard time getting it right!
In a post by Sue Dyer entitled, The Root Causes of Poor Communication, she explains that “More than 95 percent of team members said that good communication was the reason for their success.” She also explains that “95 percent said that poor communication was the reason for their failures. Clearly communication appears to be the key to project success.”
It’s time to sharpen our feedback skills on an on-going basis. Deliver feedback often and regularly and avoid the communications traps below. How have you delivered performance feedback in the past? Which of these are you guilty of?
You:
1. Tell an employee you have feedback for them and then schedule a meeting 4 days later.
Your schedule is full but you wanted to give her a heads up! Imagine the agony of the next four days on your employee! Do it immediately and remember to start with the positives.
2. Tell an employee you have a list of items you want to discuss with them and then only discuss one positive item.
You had a list of good and not-so-good feedback to share and then chickened out at the last minute. Mixed messages will never instil trust. Instead of changing your game plan, share the goal of your feedback session: Explain that the goal of the meeting is to help them perform even better and that you have some tips to help them out. Focus on future performance!
3. Provide feedback on what can be improved without celebrating successes.
You only have time to share what he can do better next time. He leaves feeling de-motivated and unappreciated. Tip: Start with 3 positives and provide several small or one large improvement item. Learn how Starting with the Positives helped this manager.
4. Don’t have a plan for what you will say.
Always have a plan! Being a leader means having employee meetings that instill confidence and empower future performance. Your quick and easy planning tool can help: The 3+1 Feedback Form.
5. Provide feedback in an email without offering an opportunity to connect within the next 24 hours in person or over the phone.
Feedback in an email is not recommended but sometimes it’s your only solution. Remember that writing it down means you need to take more time and extra special care in your selection of words and tone. And ALWAYS offer an open invitation to connect once they read the note. This will offer you a chance to clear up misunderstandings.
Check out Part two
[...] This is part two. Before you continue, read part 1. [...]