“Feedback is the breakfast of champions.”

Leadership expert Ken Blanchard coined this phrase, and I think it is pretty spot on! Constructive feedback isn’t just something that should come up at your annual reviews. No, it is essential to provide ongoing, regular feedback to your team to promote employee development and ensure that your organization is on track to achieving its goals.

When it comes to giving feedback, the biggest thing to think about is the intention and desired outcome. Giving constructive feedback should focus on facilitating better performance, while reinforcing the personal development of your team. Your employees need feedback to know how their actions and behaviors impact your organization and your team in general and to learn of any improvements they can make to improve their future efforts.

Below is a guide to help you ensure the feedback you are delivering has the desired result:

1. Try to give feedback face-to-face: Try not to use technology to relay your feedback. It can be hard to convey tone over email or text message, leading to misinterpretation and even making the situation seem more or less critical.
   
   
2. Focus on the situation rather than the employee: When you give feedback centered around the individual, this can be misconstrued as an attack motivated by your feelings rather than objective facts. By focusing on the situation instead, you convey that you are more concerned about fixing the issue and not criticizing the employee.
   
   
3. State the purpose of the feedback: Start the conversation by stating the purpose and goal you aim for from providing this feedback. This will provide context for the recipient and set the tone as a conversation offering insight rather than criticism. It also determines or highlights a mutually beneficial goal and ensures you are both on the same page.
   
   
4. Give praise where it is due: Giving positive feedback is also essential, and acknowledging what they are doing well amongst the negatives lets your employee know that you haven’t lost perspective. Furthermore, it tells them that you aren’t criticizing their overall performance, just the parts that need attention.
   
   
5. Listen to what they have to say: When giving feedback, ensure that you give your employee a chance to respond. It should be a conversation, not a one-way interaction. This shows them that you are open to listening to their side and concerns and provides them an opportunity to express their ideas for a solution. As a third-party observer of a situation, there may be some misinterpretation, so it is essential to hear their side as well.
   
   
6. Offer suggestions: What makes feedback constructive rather than criticism is whether it drives a better result. Therefore, after you have addressed the areas in need of improvement with your employee, try to give them specific suggestions on how to improve. This will empower the employee to action this corrective behavior and, in turn, improve their performance.
   
   
7. Timeliness is important: When giving both positive and negative feedback, it is important to do it while the situation is still fresh in both of your minds. This will show that you are paying attention to their efforts and allow any corrective action to be taken immediately.

It is important to keep in mind that we can’t just assume that employees will always know what they are and are not doing well; you need to go out and tell them. Whether positive or negative, providing your staff with consistent feedback is one of the most important and powerful employee development tools you have on your leadership toolbelt.

As a manager or team leader, do you need some help actioning these steps? With our Executive Coaching Program, we will work with you to help build on your leadership skills, which includes giving feedback, to help improve your organization’s performance.