Sometimes it’s hard to coax feedback out of our colleagues. Some people are worried they’ll do or say the wrong thing, even those who’ve been around for a long time. Others get put off by the jargon or management speak that ‘feedback’ or ‘360 Degree Feedback’ sounds like.
Our suggestion is: don’t ask for feedback!
Some people have an aversion to what they think are management fads, or ‘management speak’, and ‘feedback’ may be one of these. Other may even feel threatened by the whole idea as they may not be sure how to do it right. It can be just as frightening to be asked for feedback as to get it!
So what about just saying:
‘How am I doing’? ‘Is there anything I can do better, or differently?’ What would you like me to do more of?’ . Even better, refer the question to the work you’re doing at the moment, so the feedback can be really specific: ‘What can I do better on the XYZ project?’ Another good approach is Start, Stop, Continue…..’What would you like me Start doing, Stop doing, Continue doing?’ . This lets the manager off the hook if they are a bit reluctant or nervous, and allows them to focus on real actions, behaviours and examples from work, projects, clients etc ….making the whole experience a better one for the individual and their manager.
Go to www.tracksurveys.co.uk to download more tips for How to Give Great Feedback, and What not to Do when Giving Great Feedback.
