Even if you're an experienced executive, it's likely you often find
it very difficult to tell other people where they need to improve.
Praising a good performance is easy; everyone likes to receive a
compliment. But what do you do when a kick in the butt seems more
appropriate than a pat on the back? Here's how to do this effectively:
1. Treat criticism as a form of feedback.
The term "criticism," while accurate, carries the baggage of
negativity. By contrast, the term "feedback" implies the participation
of both parties--a two-way give-and-take where both people learn and
grow. Feedback is an opportunity for mutual growth. You learn by getting
feedback, and you learn by giving feedback. The moment you reposition
your criticism into the context of feedback, both you and your employee
will feel more relaxed and receptive.
2. Provide criticism on an ongoing basis.
Many bosses delay criticism until an employee's yearly performance
review. That's ineffective because the employee will be so concerned
with money issues that he or she won't be able to concentrate on
personal growth. Remember: reviews are about salaries; criticism (i.e.
feedback) is about developing the employee. This entails paying
attention to the employee's behavior, stepping into the employee's
shoes, appreciating his or her experience, and helping to move that
employee into a learning mode.
3. Dole out criticism in small doses.
If you stockpile problems, waiting for the "right moment" to bring
them up, chances are the employee will simply be overwhelmed. Criticism
is best given real-time or immediately after the fact. Don't wait until
problem fester. The very best time to provide criticism is whenever
somebody is making positive progress but there's still room for
improvement. Rule of thumb: balance out every criticism with seven honest compliments.
4. Begin by asking questions.
Your goal is not (or should not be) to convince employees to do
things the way that YOU would do them. Instead, dig deeper and find the
roots of the specific problem. Ask questions, like: "Why do you approach
this situation in this way?", "How could we have done better?" and
"What do you think could use improvement?" Such questions lead employees
to discover their own solutions and their own insights.
5. Listen, acknowledge and learn.
You may think that you understand what's going on and why something
happened, but you might easily be wrong. When you listen to an employees
and acknowledge what he or she has to say, you learn about the world
from that employee's point of view. That in turn gives you more
understanding of the employee's motivations and desires, which in turn
helps you to better understand how to help them change their behavior.
6. Address the behavior not the person.
Never say something like "You're unreliable! You've been late three
times this week !" Instead, address the behavior that's troubling, like
so: "You're usually punctual, but this week you've been late three
times. What's up?" Similarly, when you want to change a behavior don't
address it as a personality issue. Asking "What can you do to become
more reliable?" is a dead end. What's more likely to work is something
like: "What can you do to ensure you'll be on time more often?"
http://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/how-to-criticize-employees-6-rules.html
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