Why and how to give feedback?

1-Identify the subject or problem concerned

The first step is to take the time to ask yourself the initial question "What's wrong? And that means taking a step back. Feedback needs to be prepared and thought through. Rather than reacting on the spot, it's better to take the time to think things through, to choose the right words and name the real problem.

Example: My problem is that Steeve often arrives late, which creates tension in the team. Several of his colleagues are complaining.

2-Explain what happened with facts

This step involves describing the problem situation with observable, concrete, objective facts. These can be things you've seen or heard. It's not a question of judgment or evaluation.

You'll have noticed in my previous example that I used words like "often" and "many". So it's at this stage that I'll have to quantify everything that's quantifiable.

Example: "Steeve, you arrived at 8:40 last Tuesday, even though your shift starts at 8:30. You also arrived at 8:45 this Thursday and 8:35 this morning.

3-Expressing my discomfort, my concerns

As a manager, you are undoubtedly uncomfortable with this problematic situation. If I asked you to name this discomfort, would you be able to do so?

If so, it's absolutely essential that you make this discomfort known to your employee, otherwise he won't be able to understand why you're "admonishing" him. Otherwise, he won't be able to understand why you're "admonishing" him.

Alternatively, it may be that there's simply no problem (Steeve may not arrive at regular times, but he always gets his time back and there's no impact on others), or that you need to take more time to reflect and find out what's really bothering you about this situation. It has to make sense to you, in the first instance. After that, you can convey this meaning to your employee and increase your chances of success.

Example: "I feel very uncomfortable with this situation".

4-Name the impact or consequences

Of course, you probably already have in mind the impact of this unfortunate situation. But why not ask your employee directly what impact he or she thinks this situation could have? You're more likely to make him aware of the importance of modifying the behavior if he himself recognizes the impact, than if you tell him yourself.

Example: "What do you think the impact of this is on the team" (although you shouldn't be satisfied with an answer like "I don't know or there's no problem").

5-Ask open-ended questions

To continue the dialogue, it's important to ask open-ended questions to encourage reflection and give the employee a chance to name things as he or she sees them. You'll learn more with open questions than with closed ones.

Example: Instead of saying "Do you think this is fair to your co-workers?", you could ask "How much do you think this affects the sense of unfairness in the team?".

6-Ask for the employee's proposed solution and action plan to implement it

Once again, it's best to get the employee to come up with the solution, if you want to encourage problem solving.

Example: "What could you do to prevent the situation from recurring?" and "How will you implement what you need to restore the situation?"

7-Agree on the goal and the chosen solution

You may come up with several solutions in the course of your discussions. The most important thing is to agree on the chosen solution. Your role is to mark out the goal to be achieved, and to let your employee be as involved as possible in the means he or she will use to get there.

Example: "So, to sum up, we agree that it's very difficult for you to arrive at 8:30 a.m. because of the children at daycare. That you understand that we need you at 8:30 to start the production line, and without you, the whole team will start late. So, we agree that you're going to find someone to drop your kids off at daycare, so that you're here at 8:30, ready to work every morning..."

8-Follow-up

This step is crucial. Giving feedback and not following up is like putting a cake in the oven and not going back to see if it's done baking. I may well catch fire in my oven and eat charred cake!

Agree on when you're going to follow up together.

Example: "I suggest we follow up next Tuesday at 11 a.m., to see how things are going for you."

9-As soon as the situation is resolved, give feedback to encourage and thank the employee.

This step is often the most neglected, even though it's the easiest and most pleasant to do.

Take the time to say what you're grateful for. In the same vein as the previous steps, you can give detailed, positive feedback.

Example: "For the past month, you've arrived on time every morning. Your colleagues were happy. Production starts on time. The team climate has improved. You've started cracking jokes at work again. I can hear you laughing as a team. I'm really happy to see that things are back on track. Thank you so much for your involvement and openness."

In conclusion, feedback requires courage, of course, but above all it requires you to take the time to think about it and choose your words carefully. Well thought-out, it can make all the difference to the leadership you'll exude. You'll create resonance in your team, i.e. emotional harmony, creating a positive environment that encourages people to get involved, and you'll reap greater success together!

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