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How to Give Performance Feedback to Team Members · Enhance.training

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Giving honest, useful feedback can be hard to do.
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_00: If feedback is critical, we're worried about offending the other person, creating resentments, ruining relationships, and making our own lives harder at work.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: When we're giving compliments, how do we make sure that the feedback is really useful to further improve performance for the other person?
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_00: In this podcast I share how to tackle giving really useful feedback, positive and negative, to others on their performance that they will really appreciate and that will help them improve what they do.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: My name is Jess Coles and I've spent 25 years managing teams in corporates and household names through to SMEs at all management levels.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_00: And I've won best team prizes at national and company level.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_00: If you're new to this podcast, Enhanced.training provides online business courses to help professionals, managers and business owners improve their performance.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: If you like this podcast, please share it with friends and colleagues and visit us at enhance.training.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: So let's talk about how to give performance feedback to team members.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: It can feel easier and safer not to give feedback.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: If you don't give feedback, you probably won't offend others.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: I can understand why this can be appealing when you have to work alongside your team members most days, and keeping a good professional relationship is important.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: When you become a manager, I don't believe you have a choice.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: You have to give feedback on the performance of your team members, if you want the team to perform and improve, if you want to do a good job as a manager, and if you want to keep your team members longer.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: If you're new to management, giving feedback is probably something you are nervous about.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: I certainly was in my early management days.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: The best way to get more comfortable giving feedback is to practice, and by practicing you get better at delivering feedback.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: The worst thing you can do is not give any feedback to your team members.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: Gallup undertook some research into the impact of feedback, and it showed that not giving any feedback, 40% of employees were actively disengaged compared to 1% who received positive feedback and 22% who received negative feedback.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: So having no feedback means you're twice as disengaged as those who receive negative feedback.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_00: That's quite an amazing statistic.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_00: So as a manager, if you want to do your job well, you must give feedback and this study absolutely confirms that.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: So let's talk about how to give performance feedback to team members.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: One of the key things to think about is why you're giving feedback.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: Why you give feedback to your team members matters.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: For instance, if you're giving feedback because that is what you've been told to do and you've read that's what managers should be doing, then the feedback you give will probably have mixed results at best.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_00: If you're taking the time to give feedback, then make sure that you're genuinely trying to help the other person.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: Make sure you're trying your hardest to help the other person improve their approach, improve their skills, and improve their attitude.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: Then it's up to the other person to choose to use that feedback to improve or not.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: If you care, if you want to help the other person to improve, this will absolutely come across in how you give your feedback, on what you choose to complement them on and what you choose to pull them up on.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: And just as importantly, the other team members will see that you're trying to help them.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_00: There is nothing better than working for a manager that puts time into trying to improve our careers.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_00: And if the manager really cares, it certainly takes some of the sting out of any criticism.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: So if you think this feedback business all seems like work with no reward, think again.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: The more you help your team members do a better job, the more they will deliver.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: The better the team will perform as a whole, and the more rewards you get as a manager of that team.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_00: Promotions, more staff added to your team, bonuses, etc.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_00: In my experience, the work puts it into improving each person in the team as much as you're able to is paid back many times over.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_00: So from my point of view, improving your team is an absolute no-brainer as a manager.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: The next area we're going to talk about is when to give feedback.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_00: Give feedback to team members in a timely fashion.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_00: If they've just finished a great piece of work, then tell them shortly after you finish reviewing it.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_00: Don't wait two days or a week or until their next appraisal.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_00: Tell them as soon as practical.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_00: The longer you wait, the less valuable the feedback becomes.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: Imagine this sort of conversation.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: Manager I was really impressed by the report you did.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_00: It was a really good piece of work.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_00: Team member.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: What piece of work do you mean?
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_00: Manager The report you gave me three months ago.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_00: Team member Um thanks for the compliments.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_00: I'm still not sure which report you mean.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_00: If I were the team member, I'd be pretty disappointed by this point and I wouldn't feel like I'd received any kind of compliment.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_00: When you give feedback, make sure it is soon after the event or the behaviour that prompted the feedback.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_00: This way it is fresh in everyone's mind and it comes across as a lot more spontaneous and genuine.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_00: Another reason why you should give feedback quickly is that if they have done something really well, you want them to repeat it.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: If they've done something poorly, you want to help correct it as quickly as possible, not in a week's time, not in a month's time, etc.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_00: You want to try and fix it now with them.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_00: If the team member doesn't know if what they're doing is good work, they may not repeat it as much as you would like them to.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_00: If what they did was poor, they won't know the need to change it, so you'll have poor work for longer, which doesn't make any kind of sense.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_00: So give yourself time to think through the feedback you want to give and then give feedback as quickly as practical.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_00: The next key thing you must do with your feedback is to be honest.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_00: Be honest when giving feedback.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_00: If you genuinely want to help the other person and your team overall, then being honest is the best approach.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_00: Being honest gives the most accurate picture that you can provide to the other person.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_00: If somebody did something that was okay, don't pick out the good part and compliment them only on that part.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_00: This doesn't help them or you or the team.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_00: If you do this, the other person will think what they're doing is fine and do more of it, or repeat it to the same okay standard.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: Say that the overall work was okay, then pick out the bits that were done really well and the bits that could be improved upon.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_00: Offer suggestions on how they can improve the weaker areas.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_00: I would suggest that you don't beat around the bush and you get to the point.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_00: Be direct and honest in your feedback.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_00: Obviously be as sensitive and as empathetic as practical.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_00: You will need to work out the approach that works best for you while being honest with your feedback.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_00: Don't shy away from the more difficult conversations.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_00: No one finds them easy, even if you've had 20 years of managing teams.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_00: You must be honest, which means talking about the areas that the other person may not like hearing about, or they may resent you from raising it, or may even dislike you because you bring it up.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_00: And lastly, the research shows that to keep a team member happy, you need to compliment them about three times as much as criticising them.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_00: So keep an eye out for the good work and behaviors and shout about them.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_00: That said, don't step away from the harder conversations either.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_00: The next area we're going to talk about is being clear and specific when giving feedback to team members.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_00: The clearer and more specific your feedback, the more useful your feedback.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_00: Let me give you an example.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_00: Imagine that there was a dispute between two team members and you diffused the situation so that both parties accepted the compromise without any hard feelings towards the other person.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_00: First example could be your manager says, Well done, that was good work.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_00: Alternatively, your manager feedback could be great work in sorting out that situation.
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_00: I particularly liked how you listened to both sides' point of view without taking sides and then got both in a room and got them to iron out their differences.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_00: You kept yourself from making a decision for them, forcing them to reach a joint conclusion, making sure both were brought into the outcome.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_00: I was very impressed.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_00: Well done.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_00: So let me ask you, which piece of feedback is more useful?
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_00: Which piece of feedback tells you that your manager was really paying attention and thought about what they were going to compliment you on?
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_00: Which shows your manager cares more about your development.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_00: Taking the time to be specific takes effort, and the rewards of that effort are staff that care about what you say and are much more likely to take in what you say.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_00: You have made the effort, therefore they are more willing to do so as well.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_00: Being specific also gives them much more direction as to what they're doing well and what they are not.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_00: This is so important.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_00: Think about the first compliment given in the example we've just gone through.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_00: Does it tell you anything other than your manager is happy?
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_00: I don't think so.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_00: And you don't really know what the manager liked.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_00: So you can't repeat it.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_00: I've been extremely lucky in my career.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_00: I've had some great managers that gave me lots of really specific feedback, good and bad.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_00: They were amazing to work for.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_00: I've also had the other end of the spectrum in which you get absolutely no feedback at all.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_00: Remember, make sure your feedback is clear, to the point, and specific.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_00: Next we're going to talk about how to give feedback.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_00: So make sure the feedback's about what has happened and the actions taken rather than about the person themselves where possible.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_00: Imagine that someone has done a piece of work poorly.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_00: As a manager, if you said to that person, you're rubbish, I would imagine the other person would tune out everything else that you might say and be pretty angry at you.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_00: This is hardly going to help improve performance or keep their goodwill.
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_00: And if you think that this sort of thing doesn't happen, unfortunately it does.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_00: I've spoken to quite a few people that have seen or experienced this type of feedback personally.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_00: So keep your comments specific, as mentioned previously, and keep them focused on the task or approach as much as possible.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_00: Asking questions to get the other person thinking can also be a very useful approach.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_00: Here's two different types of examples of feedback.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_00: A direct approach.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_00: I don't think you spent enough time analysing the data, which is why you're struggling to get solid insights for this group of customers.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_00: You have looked at the revenue and gross margins, you haven't done as much on the mix of products.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_00: This is where most of the problems are.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_00: Shall we sit down and go through the product mix together?
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_00: An indirect approach carried out by asking a set of questions to get the other person thinking and giving your answers could look like this.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_00: So how well do you feel this piece of work went?
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_00: What areas of analysis might you have missed that hampered you getting insights?
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_00: What stopped you looking into the mix of products for each customer?
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_00: What would you do differently next time?
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_00: Asking questions can be a good approach to really get buy-in and drive the learning home.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_00: Try as much as possible to keep your feedback about the actions or lack of them or about what they have done rather than the personal traits or about them more generally, where at all possible.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_00: The last area we're going to talk about is you as a manager asking for feedback.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_00: So ideally, feedback should be a two-way street.
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_00: If you're giving feedback to improve the performance of your team members, then it makes just as much sense to get feedback to improve your performance as a manager or a leader.
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_00: As a manager, getting useful feedback from your boss can be quite hard.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_00: Getting useful feedback from your team members is even harder.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_00: We all have a natural tendency to present good news to our managers.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_00: I mean after all they control or influence our bonuses, our promotion prospects, what projects we work on and so on.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_00: It can be pretty scary to give honest, useful feedback to our manager.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_00: So, as a manager, if you want to get useful feedback, then make it as easy as possible for your team to give you feedback.
• 12:41
  SPEAKER_00: Ask them regularly for feedback.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_00: If they've only given you positive feedback, then ask what is the one thing that you think I should improve upon about what I do?
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_00: Or a similar type of question.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_00: When they give you feedback, listen carefully.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_00: Thank them, and then go away and think about what has been said.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_00: If it has been critical, don't get defensive, don't justify why you've done what you've done.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_00: If you think that person has a point, then work on changing what might have been highlighted.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_00: Other very useful options for getting useful feedback as a manager are things like anonymous 360 degree feedback surveys, you could speak to your HR team about that.
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_00: Or get a third-party coach in, that would give you very specific feedback for you, or a third-party mentor would be also good.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_00: Lastly, you could think about asking any internal people who are not your line managers to act as a mentor or to give you feedback, that also could be another option.
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_00: If you want to improve your management leadership skills, then getting feedback from any source is a very good idea.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_00: If you don't know what is going well and what is not, it is hard to change what you do to further improve.
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_00: So in summary, giving useful, honest feedback can be hard work, yet if you want your team to improve, then you must give feedback.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_00: Tell it how it is.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_00: Make sure your feedback is honest and clear when you give it.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_00: And remember, to keep a team happy, you need to compliment them three times more than you criticize.
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_00: That doesn't let you off the hook for delivering critical feedback.
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_00: Just make sure you look for balanced feedback.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_00: Make sure the feedback you do give is as useful as possible to the other person.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_00: And again, the more you practice giving feedback, the better you'll get at delivering feedback.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_00: And the better your team will get, and the better you will be viewed as a manager and a leader.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_00: Everyone wins.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_00: So enjoy managing and leading your team.
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_00: And do visit us at enhance.training and take a look at the courses and resources to help you manage your teams more effectively.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_00: And if you like this podcast, please share it with friends and colleagues.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks very much for listening, and I look forward to speaking to you again soon.