14 Tips on How to Give Feedback
Table of Contents
Yesterday’s programmer became a team leader. Whether by choice or not, his responsibilities have changed a lot. Like any other novice manager, he first of all needs to master the ability to give feedback to his subordinates. After all, he is now responsible not only for himself, but also for the team. This is necessary so that in the case of undesirable behavior of an employee and further debriefing, a person can work on the mistakes (without quitting with the words “The manager is an asshole”).
Disclaimer: This article is primarily for yesterday’s programmers who have become managers. Perhaps more experienced managers will also find something interesting. Let’s go.
1. Feedback should be given immediately
Feedback on a negative situation should happen instantly. There are two reasons for this:
- the employee will switch to other tasks, it will be hard for them to remember what they did wrong a few days or weeks ago;
- the employee will form the opinion that the manager is biased towards him and is just picking on him, or maybe he wants to get him out of the team.
Delaying feedback will cause the employee to take a defensive stance and not accept the supervisor’s comments.
2. Prepare the place of conversation in advance
Never pick apart an employee’s mistakes in public! This is the worst thing you can do. Public criticism creates a communication barrier between you and the subordinate. Stick to the old rule: scold in person, praise in public. If you want to give an employee negative feedback, pick a private place with a low-stress environment. It also shouldn’t be your office, as the employee may shut down. It is better to choose a neutral place, such as a meeting room.
3. Make a plan for the conversation in advance
This may surprise you, but you should prepare for this kind of conversation. The wrong word or action can result in the loss of an employee.
Make a plan for the conversation, think about the structure. Mentally play out possible scenarios. You can also write it down on paper or on your phone if you are worried about missing details or deviating from the original plan.
4. Tune in to the conversation
Feedback is best received in a calm and friendly environment. The manager’s task is not to offend the employee by scolding him, but to point out that there is a problem that you can help solve. Show how you see the solution to the problem and prevent situations in the future, ask for the employee’s opinion, how he sees the solution. This way you will show that you are always open to dialog and ready to help. And the employee will realize that it is possible not to close oneself off from problems.
It is best if you address each other by name and on a first-name basis. Show that you are interested in helping the employee become a better person.
5. A little praise at the beginning
Say a few words at the beginning of the conversation about something good (e.g. about the employee’s strengths, or praise for recent work). It’s rare to have a bad experience with an employee. Praise at the beginning of a conversation creates a friendly atmosphere, relieves tension, which is very helpful for an employee who is in an uncomfortable situation.
Never start with the negative, unless you want to discourage motivation and desire to work. Remember that the purpose of any feedback, even negative feedback, is to encourage improvement and better results.
6. Smoothly transition to the main purpose of the conversation
The transition to the problematic issue, you need to execute smoothly. You should convey your observations about the subordinate’s performance in a calm manner. Criticism can be listened to if it is delivered in a calm, even tone without getting personal and contains information on how to correct mistakes. Avoid imperative or dismissive language. Commanding phrases and harsh remarks are also inappropriate. You must prevent the employee from shutting down and moving to deny your arguments, even though they may be reasonable and objective.
7. State feedback clearly
Try to use general phrases as little as possible. You should explain specifically what is wrong and how you can avoid it in the future. If you fail to do this, the employee will not only not understand why you called him or her in for a conversation, but also will not be able to make the changes you expect. The employee must clearly understand what you want from him and what the conversation is about. Otherwise, in his head he will think “Manager, an asshole who doesn’t know what he wants”.
8. Take an interest in the subordinate’s opinion
Immediately after stating the problem, do not rush to present your solution. Give the employee a chance to express his or her opinion and position. Perhaps you do not have complete data and have not seen the full picture of the situation and it turns out that the continuation of the conversation does not make sense or should be directed in another direction. Don’t turn feedback into scolding in an empty place. Feedback is a dialog in which the interlocutors must understand each other in order to eventually come to an agreement. To do this, the manager must get a perspective from the employee with whom he or she is talking.
It may be that the project was on a deadline, and everyone was working hard to make it on time. The employee you are talking to was doing a review and in the turmoil did not reflect the result of the review in the task manager. Sending to the test server was also not done in time, but because at that time another programmer broke the functionality that the employee was doing with his commit.
9. Clearly state your position
If after listening to the subordinate you have not received confirmation that there are extenuating circumstances, your feedback should be clear and firm.
If there are extenuating circumstances, use them to work together to resolve the problems that led to the situation and to develop measures to counteract the situation. When giving feedback, remember that you are giving it so that the employee can improve. People make mistakes and you need to be able to give them a second chance. But never get personal. No one wants to hear a subjective opinion about their abilities and skills. Making up with a subordinate is much more difficult than offending him. Instead of using the phrase “you’re bad” use “the job was done poorly.”
Be sure to let the employee suggest solutions and build them into your position. This is the best option since you share responsibility for the situation and its remedy. But realize that the employee may not see a way to solve the problem and prevent future occurrences. A good manager will help the employee find a solution by asking various leading questions. And then present his/her point of view.
10. Keep emotions and feelings under control
When giving feedback you should be restrained and cool-headed. Employees should respect the manager, not fear. Emotions during feedback are a sign of powerlessness. Also, you should not demonstrate your superiority in anything to the employee. The employee in the process of communication will see for himself that you have the necessary experience, knowledge and skills.
11. Manage non-verbal signals
90% of the essence of communication is conveyed by gestures. The manager should pay attention to the intonation, facial expressions, gestures with which he communicates. Be sure to be interested in the topic of nonverbal signals. In particular, do not use closed postures, crossed arms or intertwined fingers – these are signals that you give a one-sided view and you do not care about the opinion of the interlocutor.
While open palms indicate sincerity, and open posture disposes to relaxed communication.
12. pay attention to individual characteristics of employees
There should be an individual approach to each person. This should be remembered at the stage of preparation for the conversation. Not all people appreciate excessive seriousness and not everyone will understand a joke during a serious conversation. When communicating with newcomers, try to encourage them, and when communicating with those who are deliberately underperforming - make tough demands.
13. Help the employee to summarize his or her own performance
If the employee summarizes the conversation on their own or with your help, it will greatly increase rapport. It also means that you have the same understanding of the next steps and know what to do to prevent it from happening again. When an employee summarizes, he or she takes responsibility for the solutions you have worked out together. If the employee got something wrong, correct him/her.
14. At the end of the conversation, say thank you. Part on a positive note
At the end of the conversation, thank the employee for their time. Let him or her know that you believe he or she will benefit from your dialog and can become a better person. But don’t be pushy or intrusive, you need to let the employee know that they are primarily responsible for themselves and you don’t doubt them, you just want to help.