[Dear Lewis] What’s the best approach to giving feedback at work?
Today's edition presents a successful formula for providing feedback that is seasoned with empathy.
Come on over and pull up a chair for our latest dish in this edition of Dear Lewis. Today’s special? Feedback.
Picture it as that zesty seasoning that can transform your team from bland to grand. But heed this: it’s as fickle as a soufflé. Season with a gentle hand, or it’ll collapse before your eyes.
Now, let’s sift through the recipe for serving up those savory morsels of honesty, ensuring they enhance the dish rather than spoil the broth. Bon appétit! 🍲
Keep striving for greatness,
Lewis C. Lin
CEO, ManageBetter
🤔 What’s the best approach to giving feedback at work?
Oh, feedback. That word alone can send shivers down the spine of the bravest souls in the office. It's like being told to eat your vegetables as a kid—good for you, but oh, so unpalatable. Employees often gear up for battle when feedback looms on the horizon, armored in defensiveness, their hearts heavy with the dread of not being perfect.
Let's break down the feedback fiesta, shall we?
Approach 1: The Straight Shooter
Option 1 is the straight shooter approach: tell it like it is, point out the flaws, no sugarcoating. This method is about as popular as a root canal. It feels preachy, and nobody, except maybe the saints among us, enjoys being on the receiving end of a sermon about their shortcomings.
Approach 2: Self-Discovery
Then there's Option 2, the self-discovery route. Sounds enlightened, right? Wrong. It's like being lost in the feedback forest without a map. Employees end up playing detective, piecing together clues of where they might have gone wrong, while managers play the enigmatic sage, dropping cryptic hints but never the full answer. Spoiler alert: it's maddening.
This method morphs into a frustrating game of 20 questions where nobody wins, and let's be honest, employees are too clever for these shenanigans. They're not interested in playing mental gymnastics; they just want to know where they stand.
Approach 3: Observations (or SBI)
Cue Option 3, the golden child of feedback strategies: the observation or Situation-Behavior-Impact (SBI) method.
It's simple, really. You share what you've seen or heard, just the facts. Like, "Hey, I noticed your executive summary was MIA in your presentation," or "You've got a love affair with 'um' and 'ah' going on," or even "Your code unleashed a bug bonanza in the first half-hour of QA testing."
Picture SBI as your trusty map through the treacherous terrain of feedback. So, here's the deal with SBI:
Situation: This is your starting point, where you paint the scene with all the juicy details of where and when the behavior unfolded. Think of it as setting the stage for the drama that's about to unfold.
Behavior: Next up, you zoom in on the action. No need for interpretations or fancy analysis here—just the nitty-gritty of what you saw or heard, like a wildlife documentary narrated by David Attenborough.
Impact: Ah, the grand finale! This is where you reveal the aftermath of said behavior—how it ruffled feathers, sparked fireworks, or caused a ripple effect across the team. It's like connecting the dots between cause and effect, but way more interesting.
Now, why does this method rock our socks off?
It's all about sticking to the facts and what you can see with your own eyes, no judgment goggles required.
By keeping things objective, it paves the way for meaningful conversations and avoids the whole blame game circus.
So, how do you wield this mighty tool of feedback wizardry?
Start by painting the picture of the situation, so everyone's on the same page.
Dive deep into the behavior, armed with concrete examples that leave no room for guesswork.
Finally, unveil the impact like a plot twist in a gripping novel, highlighting the consequences and lessons learned.
Conclusion
In the end, feedback, when served with a side of facts and a dash of empathy, can actually be a dish best served often. It's all in the presentation, folks.
Simple, right? Well, not always
I'm here to help. Email me if you have any management or employee challenges. I've got your back, and your identity will remain anonymous.
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