It’s natural to be concerned about the prospect of giving feedback – and receiving it – but, if delivered in the right way, it doesn’t need to be daunting for either party.
Not many employees find the prospect of receiving a performance review particularly appealing. Most people want to believe they are doing a great job, and even the slightest suggestion to the contrary can be a big blow to pride and confidence.
Giving feedback can be harder than receiving feedback
While that is certainly true for those on the receiving end of feedback, the people tasked with actually giving it out can face just as much concern. No matter how open-minded a recipient of feedback is, having to make an assessment of their workplace performance can be difficult.
However, with the right process, no one has to fear feedback – whether they are giving or receiving it. That is why Leaderskill’s Leader/Manager Model™ for providing 360 degree feedback was created; to provide a feedback platform that can indicate strengths, is non-threatening and promotes constructive development.
Here are some tips on providing feedback that makes it easier and more straightforward for each party.
Make the ‘positives’ outweigh the ‘negatives’
Using an ‘Appreciative Inquiry’ approach means that Leaderskill’s 360 degree feedback surveys make use of the power of strengths-based feedback. The more you focus on someone’s strengths, the more they are likely to develop them – and no prizes for guessing what happens if you draw attention to weaknesses instead!
While it’s important to provide fair, honest and all-encompassing feedback, making sure the focus is on the positives encourages recipients to nurture those capabilities even further.
Be concrete and precise with the next steps
Poorly devlivered feedback can be damaging, even more so if it is vague and non-specific and leaves room for misinterpretation.
Leader/Manager™ surveys help by providing guidelines on how to move forward and develop in specific ways. Feedback recipients are given guidance on on what they can do more of and less of, so they have a clear map of where they need to develop and how they can get there.
No one needs to fear feedback, whether they are giving or receiving it. It just needs to be done in the right way.
