Constructive Criticism
Hello,
I thought this was a good overview on how to speak with employees in a way that can motivate, encourage and help the indivdual to grow. What I have also found to be effective when speaking with individuals is to have them give their own critique on the situation first. I work in a phone-sales position and when I sit with employees to discuss a call, I will often ask how they felt it went before giving my feedback. I have found that almost always the individual is directly on point with areas of improvement and I act more as a supporter instead of discussing what went wrong. I have also found that if employees critique themselves, they are more likely to improve in that area vs. management trying to work and train with them to correct it.
Having employees critique themselves is an interesting concept. Most people will be harder on themselves than a supervisor will be.
This can backfire if the employee thinks it went well and you think it was unacceptable!
I came across a simliar situation with an associate I supervise. Often times, experiences are documented on a survey and it's difficult for the supervisor to discuss if they have not observed the incident. In this case, I provided feedback however a month later an incident was observed which provided a factual observation. In that case, the associate was extremely thankful for the feedback.
It really depends on what you mean by "backfire." It can actually turn into a learning experience for the employee, and can clarify performance expectations.
I think that can also go either way........the employee can learn from this or it can backfire and they could be more lax on themselves. It is the individuals perspective.
