3 Tips for Giving Constructive Feedback to Your Boss
1) Don't.
Well, at least not most of the time. Obviously there's a time and place for everything, and context is vital. But most of the time, in most contexts, offering an unsolicited, verbal criticism of your boss will cause more problems than solutions. Ninenty-nine percent of the feedback you give your boss will come through your everyday interactions: how you take direction, how you respond to feedback, how you talk to him/her, what kind of questions you ask - if your boss has half a brain, these interactions will tell them most of what they need to know.
2) One context in which it certainly is appropriate to give your boss verbal feedback is when they ask for it. Some bosses may ask formally as part of annual self-review, or they may even ask more frequently and casually as part of their efforts to continuously improve their own performance and/or their relationships with employees.
If you find yourself being asked, it's a great opportunity to talk about something that maybe you've been wanting to, but you just weren't sure how to bring it up. Try to focus on that one thing. Give concrete examples of observations you've made where you thought something could've been handled better or a different approach could have helped your own performance or that of your peers. Importantly, no matter how your boss presents the request for feedback, it should not be taken as a license to unload every grievance you've ever had. (Unless you're planning to end the tirade with a good ol'-fashioned "and you can take this job and shove it". Then by all means...) Also, include positive feedback as well, whether they ask for it or not.
3) In contexts where you are not asked for feedback, but you feel that something absolutely must be said in order to get past an issue or make the relationship more productive, proceed with caution. Ask for a 15-minute meeting, preferably during the earlier hours of the work day or right after lunch. Come prepared with your wording, and in preparing, keep one thing in the front of your mind: an employee-boss relationship is not reciprocal. Part of a boss's role is to manage employee performance; it's in their job description. In most jobs, it is not part of your job description to manage your boss's performance.
With that in mind, any feedback you give should focus on how the behavior in question affects you. So for example, rather than telling your boss, "I think you micromanage," you could say, "I think I would perform better if I had a little more autonomy." Instead of, "You're too demanding," you could say, "I get frustrated and discouraged when you don't take my workload into account, or "I need more time to finish current projects before taking on new ones."
One crazy thing about preparing the right words is, sometimes you might even have an epiphany while doing so and figure out your own solutions. When that happens, you can go back to tip #1!
Well, at least not most of the time. Obviously there's a time and place for everything, and context is vital. But most of the time, in most contexts, offering an unsolicited, verbal criticism of your boss will cause more problems than solutions. Ninenty-nine percent of the feedback you give your boss will come through your everyday interactions: how you take direction, how you respond to feedback, how you talk to him/her, what kind of questions you ask - if your boss has half a brain, these interactions will tell them most of what they need to know.
2) One context in which it certainly is appropriate to give your boss verbal feedback is when they ask for it. Some bosses may ask formally as part of annual self-review, or they may even ask more frequently and casually as part of their efforts to continuously improve their own performance and/or their relationships with employees.
If you find yourself being asked, it's a great opportunity to talk about something that maybe you've been wanting to, but you just weren't sure how to bring it up. Try to focus on that one thing. Give concrete examples of observations you've made where you thought something could've been handled better or a different approach could have helped your own performance or that of your peers. Importantly, no matter how your boss presents the request for feedback, it should not be taken as a license to unload every grievance you've ever had. (Unless you're planning to end the tirade with a good ol'-fashioned "and you can take this job and shove it". Then by all means...) Also, include positive feedback as well, whether they ask for it or not.
3) In contexts where you are not asked for feedback, but you feel that something absolutely must be said in order to get past an issue or make the relationship more productive, proceed with caution. Ask for a 15-minute meeting, preferably during the earlier hours of the work day or right after lunch. Come prepared with your wording, and in preparing, keep one thing in the front of your mind: an employee-boss relationship is not reciprocal. Part of a boss's role is to manage employee performance; it's in their job description. In most jobs, it is not part of your job description to manage your boss's performance.
With that in mind, any feedback you give should focus on how the behavior in question affects you. So for example, rather than telling your boss, "I think you micromanage," you could say, "I think I would perform better if I had a little more autonomy." Instead of, "You're too demanding," you could say, "I get frustrated and discouraged when you don't take my workload into account, or "I need more time to finish current projects before taking on new ones."
One crazy thing about preparing the right words is, sometimes you might even have an epiphany while doing so and figure out your own solutions. When that happens, you can go back to tip #1!
Comments
Post a Comment