Great Feedback: 6 Top Tips - SWI #69

feedback
Read time: 3 mins

When was the last time you spent hours on social media as a way of avoiding something?

I used to do this ALL the time (hey, it's Lynne here 👋).

Sometimes the thing I was avoiding was an uncomfortable conversation I needed to have as a leader.

Have you been there too?

Maybe it's your team member Sally, who spent weeks working on a report, and it looks like something your 12-year-old could do.

Or Jake, who flubbed a sales meeting and lost a valuable client because of it.

If you’re like most of us, you’d probably rather spend the whole day answering emails than provide honest feedback to either of them.

Then you get home stressed and spend 2 hours mindlessly scrolling Instagram because you haven’t dealt with the real issue.

But avoiding these conversations will snowball into bigger problems down the line:

• First, the issue at hand doesn’t get resolved (Sally doesn’t improve her report; Josh doesn’t repair the relationship with the client)
• Then, it’s likely to reoccur in the future (Sally keeps writing shitty reports; Josh keeps loosing you customers)
• Worse yet, as your team grows, they see the standard of work that Sally and Josh put out and your star performers get pissed off, leave, or both .
• Plus, weaker performers see Sally and Josh’s work and think ‘Great! That’s the standard that I’ll work at as well”.

Not great for morale.

Not great of business success.

Bottom line: if you avoid giving feedback to your team, you're in trouble.

We get it's hard.

To help make it easier, here are 6 tips to navigate tricky conversations, so you’re not resorting to doom-scrolling, and instead, you're helping your team succeed:

6 TOP TIPS FOR GIVING FEEDBACK TO YOUR TEAM

1 - Prepare:

Plan when, where, and how the conversation will take place.

Good rules of thumb: give the feedback as soon as possible, do it in private, and write it down for yourself, so you're super clear on what you need to share.

2 - Get their perspective:

Instead of launching straight into giving your feedback, get curious first.

You’d be surprised how aware people are of where they've missed the mark, plus it allows you to learn what went wrong from their perspective.

Ask Sally what she thinks about the quality of her report, or Josh what he thinks about the success of the meeting.

This is an extremely effective way of opening up a feedback conversation, because it doesn't feel like an attack.

3 - Ask for permission:

Be clear that you have feedback to provide.

The most effective way we've found is to literally say a version of: "I'd like to share my feedback, is that okay with you?"

4 - Show you care:

Reassure your team member that you're on their side, and want to help them learn and improve.

5 - Provide direct coaching or advice:

Don’t beat around the bush.

Being CLEAR about what needs to change is kinder than being 'nice' but leaving someone confused about what the feedback actually means.

Tell them directly what isn't up to standard, and develop a plan together to help them improve.

6 - Follow up:

The conversation isn’t one and done.

Put a reminder in your diary to check in on this topic and keep working together to make progress.

Need help with any of this?

Reach out to us for a free chat about how we can support your business.

You've got this!

Honesty = Growth.

Growth for your team members, you, and your business.

Thanks for reading and speak soon!

Lynne and Steve

TLDR:

• Avoiding honest feedback leads to significant issues with team morale, output, and business success later on.
• Addressing issues promptly prevents recurring problems and is an important skill set for any business leader.
• Use these 6 tips to navigate tough conversations effectively:

1. Prepare: Plan the conversation ahead.
2. Get their perspective: Understand their view first.
3. Ask for permission: Ensure they're open to feedback.
4. Show you care: Reassure them of your support.
5. Provide direct coaching: Be clear about what needs to change.
6. Follow up: Ensure the feedback is implemented and revisit if needed.

• Need help with any of this? Reach out to us for a free chat about how we can support your business.

Extra Resources

Kim Scott, the author of “Radical Candor”, developed our favorite 2x2 matrix framework on how to have these “honest” conversations.

Have a listen to this 6 min video: https://youtu.be/OmoGLPJOLY8?si=nXXryuPibLZXRISA

It explains her concept quickly and with great insight.