The five ingredients are:
1. Specifics - Feedback is only as valuable as it is specific. Comments like "You did a great job" or "it wasn't done right" are not as valuable as being specific about what was done well, or not. Provide the person with details about what was done, when it was done, what the impact was.
2. Based on observable behavior - Feedback is about the behaviors exhibited in the workplace note about heresay. one of the biggest challenges new leaders face is providing feedback. By putting it in the frame of behvaiors everyone can see and discussing what is expected, feedback can be better received. It can be less person.
3. Make it two-way. Feedback provides an oportunity for feedback to be a two way process between the leader and employee. It should be part of a dialogue together. Start by asking the employee to reflect on their own behaviors - what is working well and what isn't? See how that aligns with the feedback you want to provide.
4. Dialogue about outcome and impact - Feedback should be relevant. It is kimportant to share what the impact and outcome of behaviors are, so that people do understand what the purpose is.
5. Next Steps - A missing link in some feedback converstions is the "next steps" link. What are the next steps the person is going to take? When will you be looping back?
For more resources on feedback, check out the Foundations of Feedback series I did last year at the Teams365 blog. Enjoy!
Potentials Realized - Leadership and Team Development, Coaching, Retreats
Author of Effective Group Coaching (Wiley, 2010) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (Jossey-Bass, 2013)
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