Tips on Giving Negative Feedback - Constructively
Often supervisors are faced with the difficulty of providing corrective feedback to an employee. The process can be as unsettling to the supervisor as it is to the employee, resulting in poor communication and an unclear understanding of what an employee needs to do to correct the situation. Harry Levinson, a well-known management consultant, offers three general principles to follow when delivering bad news.
- Don't be apologetic -- expressing sorrow or sympathy is one thing, but you should never apologize for facing facts, calling the shots, and making tough decisions (not every decision you make is going to make people happy).
- Be honest -- sound the alarm early and lead people to redirect themselves voluntarily.
- Be constructive and, when possible, get and follow suggestions from your employees to make them feel more a part of the process.
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