The Management Tip of the Day from Harvard Business Review

November 11, 2015 Help Your Team Feel Open to Receiving Feedback Feedback is only useful if the receiver actually uses it. But for the message to be received, the person getting feedback has to feel safe. Feeling psychologically safe helps us hear, absorb, and reflect on feedback; feeling unsafe can make feedback sound like a personal attack. To help your employees feel ready to receive feedback: Get your intention right first. Make sure your goal is to help the other person grow. If he's let you down or performed poorly, deal with any feelings of anger or resentment before delivering feedback. Ask permission. Control is central to safety, so don't give feedback unless it's invited. Ask permission by saying something like, "Can I offer you feedback on your presentation?" Share your intent. People become defensive less because of what you're saying than why they think you're saying it. Before giving feedback, make sure the person understands your positive intentions. Adapted from “The Key to Giving and Receiving Negative Feedback,” by Joseph Grenny.

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