Have you ever been asked for feedback as a manager? Have you ever been given feedback as a manager? Here, we will talk about how to give feedback to managers as well as how to accept feedback as managers.
Giving and receiving feedback, especially at work, is never easy! There are a few things to bear in mind if you’re thinking about providing feedback to your manager or boss. So, how exactly do you give good feedback to a manager? It is recommended you deliver it in an email, detailing your concerns and what you feel can be done to improve. Your tone should be matter-of-fact, not aggressive, but this doesn’t mean you should be meek. For starters, you should try to deliver the feedback when things are calm.
Any form of communication is incomplete unless there is feedback.
Feedback highlights issues and brings them to the notice of the receiver. This in turn helps the receiver to improve his/her skills and achieve desired results. This is why, in any field of communication, feedback is considered the key to its success.
Giving your manager feedback is a great way to improve their performance. Feedback is a conversation that a manager will have with a subordinate in a situation when the subordinate perceives a problem in the work process. Feedback can be positive or negative. It is not a reprimand. The purpose of the discussion is to improve the manager’s work. If you feel your manager needs feedback, make sure to gather all the necessary information about the problem and the ways to solve it before the meeting. It is very useful to prepare some notes and try to be objective and calm while giving feedback. Try to explain what happened and why. Give your manager some time to react and explain his/her point of view.
We’re offering many best practices for giving feedback to managers, as well as a few real-world feedback examples, to make the process easier for employees. Here are some guidelines when giving constructive criticism to your boss or manager;
Always be courteous and specific.
Give specific examples of how a manager can improve upon a certain aspect of their job. Maintaining professional decorum and concentrating solely on your targeted feedback can boost the likelihood of good feedback. It’s best not to bring up numerous unrelated concerns at once; it could come across as impolite or insulting. Instead, concentrate on the most pressing concerns and solutions that must be addressed. When giving feedback, it’s important to stay positive. This will help the person learn to do better work next time.
Don’t rely too much on personal experiences. If you think you can offer your perspective based on your own experiences, that may be fine to mention, but don’t let it affect your judgement too much. Don’t be too vague about your feedback. If you want to state your opinion but don’t want to be too direct, try sharing three things that were particularly effective/not effective, and maybe one thing you would change. Do use specific examples. When you do deliver the feedback, make sure to be very specific in what you’re criticizing, especially if it’s in comparison to what they’re doing now.
Be positive. Giving positive feedback can help provide a sense of motivation for a manager.
Set a positive tone. Feedback to managers
When giving someone feedback about their work, it’s best to focus on the positive aspects first. After you have said your positive words, it is then time to address any issues you have about the work.
Don’t be aggressive in your approach; you want to make sure that you’re coming from a place of support. You can do this by emphasizing the positives, then moving into the constructive criticism.
To begin, assure them that you are providing them with constructive feedback. It’s better to be direct with your opinion. Finally, while giving feedback, try to be as explicit as possible so that you can clearly clarify what you meant. Only constructive feedback is given with the goal of correcting problems and improving the workplace environment. When you express your opinion to your manager, make sure you frame concerns in a good way and stay respectful and deferential.
Make a list of your thoughts.
You must still appropriately convey your feedback to your manager, even if it is valid and constructive. It’s best to go through your points ahead of time and write them down to ensure you remember all of the important information you want to deliver. This ensures that you say exactly what you mean.
Try to be objective. Providing subjective feedback can often cause the manager to become defensive.
Use “I” sentences to express your point of view.
Always be courteous when offering comments to a management. Use “I” statements when approaching one-on-one. For example “My team and I need more resources from you to finish the work”. Make a point of pointing out both positive and negative behaviours. Ensure that you have evidence to back up your assertions. Maintain a neutral demeanour and avoid personal assaults.
You need to make sure that the environment is appropriate and should do this in private if possible. You should also make sure that the person is in the right mood. Focus only on one area that you want to mention at a time. Make sure you’re using “I” statements to express your feelings. Finally, leave the feedback on the table. By doing so, you’re allowing the manager to think about what you’ve said and respond to it in the way they feel is appropriate.
Be upbeat and solution-focused. Feedback to Managers
If you want to give the best feedback possible to your manager, be cognizant of what you’re saying and how you’re saying it. It’s important to be at the forefront of your manager’s mind and that’s why clear and concise communication is key. You should recognize the problem, give specific examples, and offer at least one solution. Also make sure you’re positive rather than sounding like you’re blaming someone; if your manager sees that you’re working to improve the problem rather than complaining about it, they’ll be more likely to listen to you. Together, you can make the situation better.
We know that giving feedback is not easy, especially for managers. Sometimes you want to give specific feedback but you don’t know how. To help you with this, you can use these high-impact feedback examples for managers.
