Posted by Jamie Resker on Sat, Jun 12, 2010 @ 03:53 PM
The traditional method of providing constructive criticism/feedback would sound something like this:
"John, we need to talk about how things are going. You made some careless errors on the last several reports you handed in. You factored in the production labor costs incorrectly. I had to get other staff to rerun the numbers and as a result Tammy had to drop her own work to fix the mistakes you made. Now I feel I need to go through your month end reports with a fine tooth comb before I pass them onto the CFO, etc....".
Or
"Ann, we need to have a discussion to clarify your role and responsibilities. I've noticed the following issues: You are missing deadlines, not keeping people in the loop when deadlines are not going to be met and not demonstrating a sense of urgency to get the press releases out on time. From my perspective it appears that you don't have good time management skills based on not accomplishing key tasks within specified timeframes. On top of all this your attitude seems really lax when you do miss deadlines. What is going on with you?..."
What the manager has said in the examples above seems accurate. Most managers have been taught to create a bullet-proof case revolving around a list of the employee's shortcomings. After all, you have to prove to the employee that they are underperforming. Is it any wonder that most feedback recipients get defensive and feedback providers find difficultly in achieving anything remotely resembling a productive outcome, never mind gaining agreement on what needs to change?
THROUGH THE EYES OF THE EMPLOYEE
Can you think back to a time when a manager talked to you about a performance issue and did so without any finesse at all? From the employee's perspective when their manager does initiate a performance discussion it can come across as finger pointing, fault finding and disciplinary. Poorly crafted and delivered messages can trigger feelings of self-doubt and worthlessness for the employee. This is particularly true if this is the first time the employee is hearing the information. The traditional approach to giving feedback often comes across in a harsh, "this is what is wrong with you" tone.
Expect a Defensive Reaction
Once employees are confronted with this type of information the natural response is to blame others, fixate on the details, make excuses, try to explain why the feedback is incorrect, etc. All of this adds up to an uncomfortable and often confrontational exchange between the manager and employee. Once a manager has been through this process once or twice it becomes easier to just avoid addressing employee performance issues altogether. Let's just say there is no real mystery for why managers tend to steer clear of giving feedback and why employees don't like being on the receiving end! The fact of the matter is that there is a better way to introduce feedback to employees.
The key is to use words to describe what you want to have happen.
I'm not sure where this quote originates so I cannot provide the proper credit, but I thought it was impactful: "A good leader can describe what successful performance looks like". If you are familiar with Marshall Goldsmith's work you're likely familiar with the term "feedforward", which means describing what you want to see for future. See this short video, How to Begin a Performance Conversation (and how not to), for specific language to introduce feedback in a helpful coaching type style.
Posted by Jamie Resker on Fri, Apr 23, 2010 @ 04:01 PM
Most motivated employees can manage and improve an area of weakness, but only if they are made aware of the issue and are coached.
Case in Point
Steve has been with a technology company for more than eight years going back to when they were a start-up. He is a talented, post-sale technical support engineer who knows the product inside and out and is invaluable in helping customers solve technical problems. But Steve wants to get out of technical support and into sales as a sales engineer. He sees a role for himself in the sales process, and wants to get out of the office and have the opportunity to make more money. Steve has expressed this interest to his boss, who also manages the entire sales organization. Steve's perspective is that he has the skills for a sales engineering position and deserves consideration for an open sales engineer position based on his skill set, tenure, and contributions to the company. However, Steve does not believe he is being given fair consideration for the position - a situation which Steve admits is affecting his attitude as of late. Finally, if the position is filled from the outside Steve would consider this the last straw and begin looking for a job outside the company.In our case study example, the opportunity existed to make Steve - to improve his customer facing demeanor and provide him with an opportunity to grow within the organization. Instead Steve's prospects for moving into a job that matches his interests, ability and potential have been short circuited.
Shame on Steve's Boss
It is important to note that Steve's boss was keenly aware of the issue but chose instead to sweep it under the rug rather than use the information to help Steve overcome his reputation for behaving like the "class clown."
HR's Role
Encouraging and enabling effective, on-going performance discussions and coaching between managers and employees is a perfect place for HR to step up and contribute to organizational success.
How HR Can Help
HR is positioned to bridge the communication chasm between employees and managers which was illustrated in our case study and is very common in the real world. Managers are in a unique position to know their employees strengths and areas for development. Most employees who are aware of their one greatest area for development can and will make progress.
HR has the opportunity to take a more active role in ensuring that managers are regularly communicating key messages to their employees and not relying solely on the once-or-twice-a-year formal performance review process.
Furthermore, HR needs to ensure that managers have the know-how and skills to take their observations about performance and confidently and effectively engage in these discussions with positive outcomes (click here for Tips for Effective Performance Discussions).
Final Word
In the case of Steve, a technical support engineer aspiring to a greater customer- facing role but lacking the professional presence and polish required for such a position, HR needs to take the lead in getting Steve's manager to talk about the one area for development and provide Steve with coaching. At the very least Steve should have the opportunity to become aware of his manager's perceptions and be given the chance to work on translating his informal office personality into a appropriately professional business demeanor. Given how motivated he is to move into the sales engineering role there would be a good chance that he would be successful.
The cost of avoiding performance feedback is very high for both individuals and organizations. We all have a responsibility to take on those performance conversations no matter how daunting they might seem.
It is always a disservice to the employee and the organization to take the path of least resistance and sweep these types of issues under the rug.