Management Tip of the Day: Avoid the Pitfalls of Positive Feedback

 

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September 19, 2013 Avoid the Pitfalls of Positive Feedback Praise should motivate your employees, but in some cases it does just the opposite. Here's how to make sure positive feedback actually works: Don't cushion the blow. Don't routinely say something "nice" before giving criticism. Doing so conditions people to hear positive feedback as a hollow preamble to your real message. Lead instead with your investment in the relationship and reasons for having the conversation. Praise effort, not personal attributes. Intelligence, talent, or abilities are mostly innate and cannot be actively replicated. Instead, compliment effort and explain exactly what actions prompted your approval. If you're specific, you'll reinforce the desired behavior. Adapted from the HBR Guide to Coaching Your Employees.

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FEATURED PRODUCT HBR Guide to Coaching Your Employees HBR Press Book When you're swamped with your own work, how can you make time to coach your employees—and do it well? If you don't help them build their skills, they'll keep coming to you for answers instead of finding their own solutions. Got a star on your team who's eager to advance? An underperformer who's dragging the group down? A steady contributor who feels bored and neglected? You'll need to agree on goals for growth, motivate your people to achieve them, support their efforts, and measure their progress. This guide gives you the tools to do that. You'll get better at (1) Matching people's skills with your organization's needs; (2) Creating realistic but inspiring plans for growth; (3) Customizing your approach; (4) Prompting with questions before you dispense advice; (5) Providing the support your employees need to achieve peak performance; (6) Giving them feedback they'll actually apply; (7) Tapping their learning styles to make greater progress; (8) Giving people room to grapple with problems and discover solutions; (9) Engaging your employees and fostering independence. Buy It Now!

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