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Español7 Inspiring Tips When Giving Feedback to People Dealing With Obstacles
Feedback forms an integral part of communication at work. In fact, a good workplace is characterised by a company culture in which feedback is highly valued. A powerful means of motivating people and encouraging them to behave in a certain way, as well as a most effective learning device, feedback is critical to improving performance.
Good feedback takes the other party into account and creates a solid ground for personal development. Both positive and corrective feedback take practice, the right mindset, and a proper understanding and appreciation for the other person.
It helps people to grow, serves as a guide to assess one’s own performance and position, and how it is perceived by others. In addition, feedback can help employees to feel involved with their organisation, which in turn results in a positive work climate – a climate in which employee satisfaction will lead to an increase in productivity.
Despite all these positive attributes, giving Feedback is frequently the most underused management tool. This may be due to the fact that many leaders are having trouble delivering feedback. Fortunately, giving valuable feedback is a skill that can be learned. Especially when your employees or co-workers are exhibiting behaviours that are difficult to deal with, constructive feedback can help them to get back on track.
What exactly constitutes good feedback?
The following list contains a few tips on what you need to bear in mind when giving feedback to people dealing with obstacles:
- If the issue is sabotage, the person may be unreceptive to feedback (’I couldn’t care less’ attitude), making the giver of the feedback feel underappreciated and as though they could not get their message across.
- For someone affected by greed, nothing is enough. Even when plenty of positive feedback was given already, the person will want more and more.
- Self-deprecation can lead people to feel unworthy of positive feedback, as they will not believe they had any role in the successes that their team or company achieved.
- Arrogant people find it almost impossible to admit that they have done something wrong and will therefore refute any corrective feedback, instead pointing the finger at someone else.
- Martyrs think positive feedback inevitably means more work or that the giver has some ulterior motive – they do not believe that praise is truly sincere.
- Impatient people are so restless, they find it hard to focus and tend to interrupt, talk over people or avoid feedback situations, making them awkward for both parties.
- For stubborn people, it is hard to get excited about anything, especially when it involves changes. They usually object to the ideas of others, even if only in principle – regardless of whether they receive positive or corrective feedback.
