One of the most difficult parts of being a manager is approaching
employees who are not performing well and providing negative feedback. In this scenario, I imagine that I am a
manager in a mid-sized company that provides technology support services. I manage ten employees who are required to
maintain a high level of technical expertise and deliver excellent customer
service. One of my employees, Steve, has
been with the company for two years. He
is performing at a substandard level and I have received numerous complaints
from customers and coworkers. In addition,
Steve has displayed confrontational behavior which has created a hostile work
environment. I must now meet with Steve
and deliver an ultimatum regarding the need for immediate improvement or
dismissal.
Since Steve has been the subject of numerous complaints and displayed
confrontational behavior I know that I have to approach him carefully and with
a lot of tact. We are a technology
services company, so I send Steve an e-mail so as to not approach him in front
of others who could see or hear us and create more talk about the
situation. In my e-mail I ask to meet
with him at his earliest convenience and give him a few time slots over the
next two days. I believe this communicates
a certain respect for his time and also makes him feel like he has some control
over the process. It also allows him
some time to prepare for our meeting but does not let too much time elapse,
which could lead to even more tense feelings around the office. Regardless of whether I like Steve I have to
communicate responsibly. “Communicating
responsibly does not mean that we have to agree with or even like everyone with
whom we interact. It does mean that we
should show others respect and be willing to listen with an open mind to their
points of view (Trenholm, 2008).” This
is the example I must set for Steve and convey that I expect the same from him.
Given that Steve’s behavior has
been a problem for some time, this is not the first meeting we are having and
he is probably be expecting that I will once again be bringing up his
performance. Steve agrees to meet later
in the day and this time there will be no other managers present. I am determined that this time I will get
through to him and do everything I can to make him once again a happy and
productive member of the department.
However, I am also anticipating that Steve will likely be on defensive
mode, act combative, and have a hard time listening because he thinks he knows
what I am going to say. I also expect
that Steve will have some feedback of his own to give. “Competent communicators are open to feedback
about their own behavior and know how to give useful feedback to others
(Trenholm, 2008).”
In order to prevent this meeting from going into destructive
communication patterns I must begin our conversation on a positive tone and
start by saying that I am eager to hear his side of the story and am there to
listen. I am determined to listen to
everything Steve has to say no matter how much I disagree or may want to
interject. After Steve has finished I
will thank him for being honest with me and remind him of the positive side of
disagreements and criticism.
“Disagreements and criticism are normal parts of office life. Without disagreements, we’d simply
rubberstamp every idea. Without
criticism, how could we learn? When
negative feedback is directed at you, don’t take it personally. And when you’re the one disagreeing, make
sure that you focus on the issues, not the person (Trenholm, 2008).”
I will try to get to the bottom of why things changed for Steve, since
he was a very good employee for the first 15 months he was with the company,
and try to find out if there is anything I can do bring things to a
resolution. As a leader it is a priority
for me to build strong, trusting and respectful relationships with my team
members. “When they trust and respect
you, it becomes much easier for them to listen when you deliver clear
instructions and “negative” feedback because they know you have high standards
and care deeply about their performance and career development (Miller,
2010).” If Steve approaches the
situation with a positive attitude and appears to be listening, I will suggest
possible compromises and solutions that address his concerns. However, I must be firm that this is Steve’s
last chance to change things around and that if his behavior remains the same
we must conclude that our company is not a good fit for him and he will likely
be happier somewhere else.
It is important to listen attentively with an open mind and remember
that knowing how to give negative feedback effectively is essential to being a
good manager, leader and communicator.
The kindest, most empowering thing a leader can do for their team is to
set clear guidelines and expectations, then give firm, timely feedback if those
expectations are not met. Feedback is no longer something negative when you’re
a mentor and a coach (Miller, 2010).”
References
Trenholm, S. (2008) Thinking through communication, 5th Ed. Allyn &
Bacon
Miller, J., (2010) Ask Jo: How to communicate negative feedback without
causing hard feelings and resentment.
Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology. Retrieved from:
http://anitaborg.org/news/archive/ask-jo-how-to-communicate-negative-feedback-without-causing-hard-feelings-and-resentment/
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