Some Constructive Help with Constructive Feedback
Written by Anthony Demangone
It isn’t easy criticizing a colleague. We might call it “constructive feedback,” but for the person on the receiving end, it looks and feels like a critique.
If the thought of giving feedback to a colleague gives you the chills, I’d recommend reading this article by David Lee. It outlines 19 common mistakes people make when giving “feedback.”
Here are a few gems…
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Sugar coating negative feedback. – When you’re afraid of hurting the other person’s feelings or triggering a negative response, it’s (unfortunately) natural to sugar coat negative feedback. The result? They can’t decipher what you’re trying to say or the seriousness of the matter.
Waiting for the once a year performance review to give feedback. – This is always a great way to spark confused “What are you talking about?” resentment-packed conversations. The key word in performance reviews is “review”. They’re not supposed to be a place to air late breaking news.
Delivering a long warm-up preamble before giving the negative feedback. – This just builds suspense for what they know is coming: the negative feedback. (“I really appreciate what a team player you are and I really love your attention to detail and I think you’re doing a great job with …. BUT…”).