Sometimes you have a good employee doing the wrong thing. It may be due to a lack of skill in a particular area, or it may be a lack of understanding of the rules. In either case, it’s your job as the manager to take the person aside and explain what they are doing wrong and what is needed to improve/correct the situation. This is called constructive feedback.

When giving constructive feedback, consider the following steps:

  1. Begin by discussing something that the employee is doing well
  2. Say they are doing good work, but need a little help in one particular area
  3. Talk about the issue in a friendly, mentoring, and teaching style
  4. Discuss specific steps that will help correct the issue
  5. Define a date and time to have a follow up discussion on the employee’s progress
  6. Change the subject to something fun and non-work oriented, like a local sports team or fun weekend plans

The order of these steps is designed to:

  • Make the employee initially feel safe and thus not defensive.
  • Be sure the employee understands that the issue
  • Define action items and establish a timeframe for the issue correction
  • Leave the employee with a positive feeling and willing to accept the needed feedback and follow through on the defined action steps

When I think back on my own career, a memory comes to mind when I was the receiver of this type of advice. Early in my career I often did a very poor job proofreading my presentations. My manager at the time, who I still have great respect for, took me aside, explained the importance of proofreading and helped me develop a process to correct the issue.  At the end of our conversation, I felt thankful for his help, but I also understood that it was a correction I was required to make quickly.

Lastly, there may be times when you are the receiver of this type of feedback. When this happens, consider the following:

  • Always welcome it, even if you don’t like to hear it, or like the person delivering the message, it may be quality advice
  • Feel free to solicit feedback, good or bad, from those you trust, it may provide you with insights on how other people perceive you in the workplace

Always remember, that when given correctly with the person’s best interest in mind, constructive feedback a gift to the person receiving it, be respectful in its delivery, and thankful when being received.