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The Truth About Getting Your Point Across...
And Nothing But The
Truth
Part
IX: The Truth About Giving Feedback
Let's talk about an uncomfortable topic for a minute. We're not necessarily talking about telling someone that they have a smudge on their nose. Sometimes feedback is very uncomfortable to give and can be even more uncomfortable to receive. For as uncomfortable as the feedback process is, there are usually very good nuggets which can be harvested and can contribute to a colleague's (or your) overall personal and professional growth.
This part contains five truths, as follows:
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Truth 41: Late feedback is just as bad as no feedback at all - Have you ever received a performance appraisal where your manager for the first time provides feedback on something you should have learned about months ago? Getting feedback is great, but when the feedback is so detached from the event that facts get blurred and action can't be taken, the recipient is likely to get super frustrated. Deliver timely feedback, don't save it up or dredge it out of memory when performance appraisal time hits.
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Truth 42: Environment matters - Giving and receiving feedback is already difficult. Add to it ringing phones or colleagues barging in on the conversation and you've got an doubly difficult situation to address. Don't let the environment in which you are giving feedback make the situation even more difficult.
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Truth 43: Focus on the behavior, not the person - Being called a "slacker" never did much for Marty McFly in the movie "Back to the Future". It also doesn't do much for your feedback sessions. Feedback should be tied to specific behaviors to help the recipient understand the feedback and know what to do to address it moving forward.
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Truth 44: Sometimes it’s best not to offer your feedback - Maybe you don't have a great relationship with a colleague, or your feedback isn't based on facts. Squelch the urge to provide feedback in some situations where the feedback will only fan the flames and cause the house to catch fire.
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Truth 45: Be open to feedback, then decide how to use it - As a recipient of feedback, it's important to accept a colleague's viewpoint and to graciously acknowledge what they have to say. It's up to you to decide what to do with the feedback. You have freedom of choice to either accept or reject the feedback but you also need to be aware of the consequences of your choices.
Order The Truth About Getting Your Point Across here.
