How to give feedback to your team during performance reviews
It's that time of year again: annual performance evaluation season!
Many of my clients are writing performance evaluations for their employees and are receiving their own evaluations.
Today's guide will help you navigate through the most difficult parts of the process.
My number one piece of advice for managers is that you need to be having on-going feedback discussions with your employees throughout the year so that nothing in an annual performance review is surprising to them. You two should already be aligned on accomplishments, areas for growth, and long term career development.
However, I know this isn't always the case and feedback conversations can be difficult or uncomfortable for people on both sides.
Obviously each company's process will be different whether it includes a written or verbal part of the process or any process at all (come on y'all!). So use these helpful tips as a starting place and apply to your own situation and needs.
We're going to look at it from a few angles:
Giving meaningful recognition
Giving feedback with impact
Developing your team’s growth
Giving Meaningful Recognition
Be specific - Share specific skills and strengths they have and give specific examples of where they shined.
Example: Great job on the monthly sales report! Your attention to detail in the report is incredible. I also appreciate how easy it is to read.
Share the impact - Help them see the greater impact their strengths have on the team, clients, you, or the org.
Example: Tom mentioned to me that he appreciated your attention to detail on the report because it saved their team hours of editing.
Acknowledge them - Share another specific attribute or quality you see in them to continue what's working.
Example: Your work ethic is so strong. I see how hard you’re working every month on this report, and we all really appreciate it.
Delivering Feedback with Impact
Come prepared
Specific projects, examples, people involved, etc.
Start with something positive
When you’re presenting your work to the team, I can tell you know your content inside and out. And your slides are so easy to follow.
Don’t say but
The word ‘but’ negates what you said before.
State the facts of the situation
I've noticed a few times that it seems like you’re rushing through the last few slides, and there isn’t always time for questions.
Share the impact
Without time for questions, we’re not getting the feedback we need in the room, which is delaying our project approval to the next week.
Come up with a plan together
What do you think would help you have time at the end for questions?
What's worked before? What's getting in the way? How can I support you with your presentations going forward?
What are our next steps?
Developing your team’s growth
Learn together:Where can they learn and grow within the company (that’s more than their day-to-day responsibilities)?
Other teams or departments in the company: shadow someone, sit in on meetings, internal networking
Side projects: new cross-functional efforts, creative or strategic long-term projects
Internal trainings: hard or soft skills they can learn from peers or internal training classes or online courses
Broaden perspectives:Where can they learn and grow from external resources?
Help them narrow down topics or skills they want to learn and encourage them to research:
Conferences
Webinars
Professional coaches
Group trainings
Association meetings
Networking events
Books
Podcasts
Courses
Evolve here:What are their next career steps within the company?
Career mapping: discuss what a linear next role or two would be after being promoted within this team, and what it would take to get those promotions
Lateral exploration: discuss other areas of the business to see if there is interest in switching teams, departments, or focus areas
Next chapter:Is it actually in their best interest or personal interest to leave the company?
This can be a really difficult conversation for both sides to have
Don’t take it personally
Be open
Keep their best interest in mind
You don’t want to keep someone on your team who doesn’t want to be there
Download a one-page cheat sheet How to Give Feedback to Your Team and you'll never go into a feedback conversation thinking "I don't even know what to say," again.
Brittany Canaski is a highly-rated Leadership Coach, Trainer, and Founder of Hello Velocity where she builds confident leaders and high-performing teams. When she's not building her business, you can find her planning her next travel adventure with her husband, watching Formula 1 racing, or volunteering in her local community of Charlotte, NC.
