Methods to be a boss when giving performance reviews

As a manager, giving feedback can feel like a balancing act. Whether you're praising an worker's accomplishments or addressing a deficiency, the way in which you communicate can have a big effect on how your words are received and acted upon.

As Business School ProfessorsWe checked out how we could make the assessment process as painless as possible. And we've found three essential strategies for giving feedback that’s each effective and constructive.

Using these strategies will aid you improve the feedback process and promote a more positive and productive work environment:

1. Keep your feelings out of it

Have you ever noticed that statements like “I'm disappointed” or “I'm proud of you” can completely change a feedback conversation? That's since the language you employ – especially emotionally charged words – can change how employees interpret the feedback.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, our research shows that using negative emotional language – like “I'm disappointed” – can reduce worker motivation and engagement. This is because employees shift their focus away from their performance and towards the way you, as a manager, view them as an individual.

At the identical time, using positive emotional language like “I’m happy” can sometimes backfire. That's because it may well make employees feel complacent.

The key takeaway here is that using emotionally neutral language, especially when coping with negative feedback, helps employees give attention to their tasks without being distracted by what the feedback says about them personally.

Instead of claiming, “I'm disappointed with your sales numbers,” try a more neutral approach, resembling, “Sales numbers are below our goal.” Let's discuss some strategies for improvement.”

By keeping emotions in check in your language, you’ll keep the conversation focused on performance. This helps employees higher understand what they should work on without additional emotional stress.

2. Allow employees to customize their experience

Not all employees want the identical sort of feedback, and that's completely okay. Giving employees the chance to decide on the sort and frequency of reviews can result in improved performance.

Workers who’ve a say in how often they’re evaluated usually tend to use the method productively and productively Feel less micromanagedour investigations have shown.

Consider making a feedback menu where employees can select areas to judge, resembling: E.g. communication skills, leadership development or project management. Another strategy is to provide employees the chance to set the frequency of feedback sessions, whether weekly check-ins or more comprehensive quarterly reviews.

When employees have ownership over the evaluation they receive, they’re more open to it, perceive it as more beneficial, and are more willing to act on it.

3. Choose the fitting messenger

Who gives the feedback might be just as necessary as the data itself. Our research has shown this Some employees respond higher to feedback from their colleagues, while others respond higher when it comes from a manager.

Specifically, we found that individuals with a greater sense of entitlement respond higher to feedback from a manager, while less entitled individuals respond higher to feedback from colleagues.

It can subsequently make sense to make use of personality profiles to find out the most effective messenger for feedback. For example, consider situations through which feedback might reasonably be given by a colleague and by whom, resembling a peer mentor or a team leader.

By tailoring the feedback source to the content and context, you be certain that the feedback resonates more deeply and is perceived as constructive fairly than critical.

Applying the principles in real life

Managers may find that using these three strategies may require an adjustment to their current feedback approach, but the advantages are value it. Here is a fast example of the best way to apply these strategies:

Imagine you’ve got an worker, Mark, whose performance has recently declined. In your feedback conversation, you may start with a neutral statement like, “Mark, I've noticed that your recent projects have been meeting deadlines.” Let's discuss why this is likely to be happening.” This language will help Mark give attention to to give attention to the issue without viewing it as a private attack.

Next, offer Mark the chance to establish regular bi-weekly check-ins or monthly reviews to search out what works best for him. Finally, if Mark has a great relationship with a team member who excels at time management, consider organizing a peer feedback session where he can share suggestions and methods.

The result? Mark feels supported fairly than tested, and the feedback is seen as a chance for development fairly than reprimand.

As researchers who’ve studied management communication and feedback strategies for years, we all know that these approaches can transform the way in which people interact with their teams. By intentionally providing feedback, managers can create an environment through which employees feel respected, valued, and motivated to succeed.