Page 12 - Twenty Four Lessons for Mastering Your New Role

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Give criticism

Give feedback

Part of your job as a new manager is to give helpful feedback to
employees. But it doesn’t stop there.
The feedback process isn’t over when you reel off what you think
the employee should do to improve performance. It ends when the
worker understands your input and applies it successfully.
Most managers dislike giving negative feedback. They may fear
that workers will perceive their well-intentioned comments as per-
sonal criticism. And because it’s common for rookie managers to
want to be liked by their troops, they may shy away from pointing out
work-related defects or concerns about an individual’s effort or atti-
tude.
Get over it!
Effective managers must give feedback every day. It can range
from glowing praise to neutral observation to serious alarm. Ideally,
positive input should far outweigh everything else. Employees crave
compliments from their supervisor—they remember them, treasure
them and share them with friends and family.
Look for opportunities to point out what workers are doing right.
Don’t feel you must ration praise only for rare flashes of brilliance or
exceptional results. Letting people know that you admire how they
handle a customer, organize their workspace or analyze a problem is
in itself a form of feedback that strengthens your relationship with
your team.
When your goal is to provide constructive feedback that helps
employees improve, set the stage. Get a two-way conversation going.

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