{"id":3379,"date":"2020-12-28T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-12-28T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nailted.com\/blog\/?p=3379"},"modified":"2024-09-09T10:19:32","modified_gmt":"2024-09-09T08:19:32","slug":"dont-make-these-mistakes-when-giving-feedback-to-your-team-members","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nailted.com\/blog\/dont-make-these-mistakes-when-giving-feedback-to-your-team-members\/","title":{"rendered":"Don’t Make These Mistakes When Giving Feedback to Your Team Members"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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[content_upgrade cu_id=”9155″] How to make feedback a habit in your company: Discover how to give feedback effectively [content_upgrade_button]Download guide[\/content_upgrade_button][\/content_upgrade]<\/span><\/p>\n

If your organization already has a strategy for giving and receiving feedback, then congratulations! You\u2019re on the right track for engaging your employees<\/strong>\u2013increasing retention, boosting productivity, and in the long run, improving your profitability.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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According to Gallup, companies that engage their employees<\/a> <\/strong>and have talented leadership achieve on average 147% higher earnings <\/strong>per share than their competition.<\/p>\n

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Feedback is certainly beneficial\u2013when done well<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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Unfortunately, it can be all-too-easy to do a poor job at delivering feedback and creating an effective long-term strategy for success<\/strong>. Too often, feedback falls flat or fizzles out. The result is that not only do you miss out on valuable opportunities for helping your team members to improve their performance; you might also leave some employees more<\/em> disengaged than before.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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That\u2019s why it\u2019s so key to do feedback well\u2013to not only know how<\/em> and what<\/em> to communicate, but how to implement a long-term strategy to make feedback successful over the long haul.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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In this article, we\u2019ll cover not only the common mistakes when it comes to giving feedback<\/strong><\/a> to your team members, but how to build a feedback strategy that works.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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5 Common mistakes that organizations make<\/h2>\n

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Most leaders and managers know that feedback delivers real, lasting benefit<\/strong>. The problem is, however, that many leaders and managers fall into common feedback \u201cpitfalls\u201d<\/strong>\u2013mistakes that are easy to make, and easy to overlook.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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1. Your feedback is sporadic or infrequent.\u00a0<\/h3>\n

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A traditional \u201cfeedback strategy<\/strong>\u201d in large organizations can look like delivering feedback to employees in quarterly or annual reviews.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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The problem with these one-on-one reviews?\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Often, the feedback isn\u2019t timely or immediately relevant,<\/strong> reducing its impact and making it more difficult to understand what needs to change. And, when the employee is inundated with information on their performance, moving towards actionable<\/strong> improvement can feel overwhelming\u2013both logistically and emotionally.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Finally, inconsistency or infrequency show your employees that your organization doesn\u2019t really<\/em> value feedback,<\/strong> or the need to change. When you integrate feedback into ongoing workflows, however, you create a culture that values input, transparency, and improvement.<\/p>\n

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2. Your feedback is nonspecific.\u00a0<\/h3>\n

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One of the most common mistakes with feedback in any<\/em> scenario is to give feedback that is nonspecific. Let\u2019s be honest: Nonspecific feedback is simply easier to give<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Contrast the following:<\/p>\n

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\u201cYou did great during yesterday\u2019s presentation!\u201d<\/p>\n

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Vs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cYou did a great job at communicating our company values during yesterday\u2019s presentation!\u201d<\/p>\n

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Or\u2026.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI think you could have managed that project better.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Vs\u2026.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI think you could have done a better job at coordinating with subcontractors.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Both \u201cpositive\u201d and \u201cnegative\u201d feedback are far more constructive<\/strong> when they include specifics\u2013though that will require additional effort and thought.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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3. Your feedback is a one-way street.<\/h3>\n

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In an organizational context, feedback often has the connotation of being communicated exclusively from \u201csuperiors.\u201d<\/p>\n

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But to create an authentic culture of feedback in your organization, feedback needs to operate in multiple directions<\/strong>\u2013both from leadership\/management towards employees; from employees to employees; and from employees to managers and leaders.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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4. Your feedback is only negative…or only positive.\u00a0<\/h3>\n

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Delivering feedback that\u2019s exclusively negative or exclusively positive can be equally damaging.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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To equip both leaders and team members to change, they need to hear what they\u2019re doing well, and what can be improved. Veering too strongly towards any one direction can a) discredit the feedback<\/strong> from being truly authentic, or b) bring too much emotion into the feedback, leaving the recipient either flattered <\/strong>or insulted\u2013but not motivated to change.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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5. Your feedback is delivered via the wrong channel.\u00a0<\/h3>\n

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Finally, an organization may do all of the above well…but if they don\u2019t deliver and communicate feedback through the right channel, it won\u2019t be as effective.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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For example, organizations may request feedback via email one week, and Slack the next. Or, they may rely exclusively on feedback given and received during Zoom calls. Or, they may combine these channels\u2013resulting in inconsistent feedback that\u2019s difficult to navigate, understand, and act on.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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To be effective, integrate feedback into your workflows<\/strong> with a digital platform<\/a><\/strong>\u2013which we\u2019ll learn more about in the next section.\u00a0<\/p>\n

[content_upgrade cu_id=”9155″] How to make feedback a habit in your company: Make your feedback processes work [content_upgrade_button]Download guide[\/content_upgrade_button][\/content_upgrade]<\/span><\/p>\n

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3 Strategies to help feedback succeed<\/h2>\n

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By now, you know what not<\/em> to do when it comes to feedback.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Now, here\u2019s what you can<\/em> do to help make sure your feedback succeeds.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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1. Make feedback a part of company culture.\u00a0<\/h3>\n

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When you create a culture of feedback<\/strong><\/a> at your company, you create buy-in that helps team members and managers want <\/em>to engage and participate in the process. They\u2019ve seen and experienced the value of giving and receiving feedback\u2013and they feel comfortable with communicating about performance, behaviors, etc.<\/p>\n

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To encourage a culture of feedback at your organization, start by building trust with your employees. This involves rewarding transparency and honesty<\/strong>; placing equal value on all employee voices, and setting an example of asking for feedback as a leader.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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2. Integrate feedback with technology.\u00a0<\/h3>\n

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As mentioned above, establishing an effective channel for feedback via a digital platform will help make feedback succeed in the long run.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Nailted<\/a> is a feedback platform that will help you to integrate feedback<\/strong> into ongoing workflows. By giving employees a weekly opportunity to recognize each others\u2019 accomplishments, provide optionally anonymous constructive feedback, and engage in a 1:1 meeting<\/a> <\/strong>with their managers, Nailted helps normalize feedback so that it becomes a core part of your organization\u2019s culture.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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The result, of course, is that you get to reap the benefits of feedback: improved performance and productivity<\/strong> increased employee engagement and satisfaction, and a stronger, more efficient organization.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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3. Consider outcomes & results.\u00a0<\/h3>\n

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To be successful, feedback should have a measurable impact.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Make sure to develop a strategy to follow through with employees and managers who have received constructive feedback<\/strong>, and see how they have taken actionable steps towards improvement. You may also want to measure bigger-picture initiatives such as productivity rates or employee engagement, satisfaction, or eNPS<\/strong><\/a>. (Again, Nailted can help you measure these metrics<\/strong> on an ongoing basis, giving you insight into how feedback may be having a far-reaching impact).\u00a0<\/p>\n

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[content_upgrade cu_id=”9155″] How to make feedback a habit in your company: Learn how to integrate feedback into your company culture [content_upgrade_button]Download guide[\/content_upgrade_button][\/content_upgrade]<\/span><\/p>\n

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Start working on Employee Feedback
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Nailted<\/a> is an <\/span>employee engagement platform<\/strong> that can help your organization deliver a better employee experience through:<\/span><\/p>\n

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