Human emotions are complex. On top of that, cultures vary. Make sure you know with whom you are speaking.
As a leader, one of your tasks is giving feedback to employees. However, some people have trouble receiving feedback. You need to learn how to communicate in a way that helps to improve the performance and make the employee feel empowered to work towards mutual goals. Continue reading to learn some easy ways to ensure your leadership style isn’t offensive.
"Rather than telling them how bad something is, tell them how they can improve it or get better results."
Ask Before You Offer Feedback
Rather than offering your feedback without an introduction, ask the employee if they mind if you give them some feedback. This shows respect and courtesy, and it is transparent and makes the person feel comfortable. They are aware that you are coming from a kind and compassionate position, and they can better understand that you want to help them improve how they do their job.
Make Sure That Feedback Includes Suggestions for Improvement
When you give feedback, it should be specific. For example, if an employee wasn’t great in a presentation, you can offer constructive ways for them to do a better job the next time. Don’t label it with adjectives such as bad or poor, but let them know what would have made it better. When people don’t feel threatened or criticised, they are more responsive.
Use Tact
Leaders are often direct by nature, but giving feedback requires a degree of tact. No matter how you are feeling, make sure that you are sensitive to how they feel and use tact when you deliver the feedback. Rather than telling them how bad something is, tell them how they can improve it or get better results.
Explain Your Perspective
People often have trouble thinking about issues from other perspectives. When you are letting your employee know how they could improve an approach, use a story or have them imagine the situation from your perspective or that of a customer.
This can help them to become more open-minded. They may not have noticed that their actions were inconsiderate or inappropriate. This is a great way to help them improve how they interact and make decisions in the future as well.