Got Feedback?

Hey Everyone,

I received an email newsletter a few weeks ago. It had a quick list of "Do's and Don'ts" for giving good feedback.

As you may know, being able to give and receive good feedback is an important skill. People aren't perfect, and you are going to make some mistakes along the way. But with support and feedback from mentors as well as team members, you can improve more quickly, and achieve better results more quickly. I've included the bullet points that I think are the most useful and added my own thoughts. Enjoy!

Feedback Do's:

• Provide direct and specific feedback (a la the One Minute Praise / Reprimand)
  
• Be supportive and calm
• Be prepared if delivering feedback from others - Sometimes you will have to deliver feedback from above. Remember that you can tailor the message to fit into the One Minute Reprimand.
  

Feedback Dont's:

• Compare one employee to others - I think we need to teach more parents about this. Think how bad sibling rivalries can get... now put this in a setting where people's jobs are at stake... back stabbing and corporate politics aren't the most fun things to deal with.
  
• Provide critical feedback (reprimands) in a public setting - This can be very embarrassing, and you wouldn't want that to happen to you, would you?
• Criticize, condemn, or complain - Dale Carnegie Rule #1
• Delay giving timely feedback - Another tip from the One Minute Manager. If feedback takes only a minute, don't delay or else the problem will continue just that much longer.

Thanks for reading! Comments (and feedback) are requested and appreciated.