Constructive Criticism Without Confrontation
There really is an art to giving constructive criticism at the workplace. When properly conducted, it offers an employee the opportunity to learn from a given situation. Growth can often be a positive outcome as part of the dynamic. When done improperly however, criticism can easily turn into an ugly confrontation.
Let’s be honest – nobody likes being told they did something wrong. This is particularly true if you are dealing with a highly sensitive person or an individual who has had historical problems with authority figures. While many books have been written on the art of constructive criticism, very few offer quick pointers for supervisors who find themselves in a jam.
Constructive Criticism at Work
If you are a supervisor needing to offer criticism for an immediate problem, we encourage you to carefully read the following seven tips. Some of these may seem obvious while others will require you to step back a moment and reflect. Read them all in their totality so that you are able to fully absorb their deeper meaning.
Are you ready? Let’s jump right in!
1. Keep your temper in check
One of the worst things you can do is fly off the handle and start yelling at an employee for something they have done wrong. Before you offer one ounce of feedback to a worker, take a step back and engage in some deep breathing.
None of the other suggestions offered here will work if your temper is out of control. We are mentioning this point first to reinforce the importance of this tip.
2. Criticize in private
A primary principle of good human relations is to offer criticism in private. If you reprimand an employee in front of their fellow co-workers, there is a good chance the person you are dealing with will become instantly defensive.
Use your personal office, an open conference room, the company cafeteria or even the parking lot to provide feedback. This point can be particularly hard to remember in the heat of the moment so go back to tip #1 if necessary.
3. Begin with mild criticism
Don’t go for the jugular with harsh, nasty criticism. Start out mildly and help walk the employee through the issue that has come up. Help them to see how their actions (or lack thereof) have created the current situation.
The goal here is to create positive change and not to humiliate the employee. A good starting question might be: Why do you think I want to talk with you right now?
4. Base the criticism on facts
In criticizing an employee, it is vital that you base your feedback on objective facts and not subjective perceptions. Many employees will reject whatever feedback you give them out of hand when it is deemed to be personal or flat out invalid.
By using facts to make your case, you have a much better chance of getting through to the employee. Link real consequences to behaviors under this tip as a way of driving home various points. An example might be: Because you did not complete the report you promised to have finished by 5 pm last night, our entire department is on the CEO’s radar.
5. Criticize with a common goal
Offering criticism to an employee is best accomplished when a supervisor does so by communicating a common goal. The idea is to create a team dynamic and impart to the employee that her/his participation and cooperation is an important part of the big picture.
An example under this particular point might be: We can get the report done quickly if you double-check the data while I edit the narrative parts of the text. Another example might be: If you can quickly plug-in the missing metrics, I will write the outcomes for the CEO and add them to the report.
6. Criticize without playing boss
Most employees despise it when supervisors get all authoritative and over-play the boss card. This is particularly true if you are a supervisor who manages processes but not necessarily people. You don’t need to asset your power in order to make your point. Simply share your feedback in a way that encompasses the previously made tips. Avoid making statements like, “I’m the boss – so do it my way!”
7. Criticize with the sandwich approach
During the entire process of offering criticism, you will want to include something positive to reinforce desired behaviors. One effective way to do this is the sandwich approach. Here, you will start out with something positive at the start of your feedback and then “sandwich” in the criticism of undesirable behaviors.
You then close the discussion with something positive. Only use this approach, however, if the positive remarks are genuine and authentic. Doing otherwise may come off as rehearsed and fake.
Feedback Resources
Many of the clients who visit the Chicago therapists here at 2SC for career coaching and counseling seek guidance on a wide swath of workplace related matters. This is true for folks who are first-time supervisors or well-seasoned, company executives.
We also like this book because it helps workplace supervisors tackle difficult workplace challenges, such as communicating important goals and enacting process improvement plans. Don’t let the title of this book fool you – there’s lots to learn inside!
We hope you found the material shared in this post useful. Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to Like 2SC on Facebook.