[Appraisal Season Special] The Anatomy of Feedback

$\"\"$ The write up this week takes a cue from Kim Scott\’s Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity

Its that time of the year when appraisals are the talk of the town

When the ratings are finally uploaded into the system, the employee gets a jolt; Its just a \’Meets Expectations\’ . He goes to the boss, only to hear these standard lines 🙂

1. Agle saal tera pakka hai

2. Management ne tere liye kuchh bada socha hai

3. Bell curve me nai baith raha tha & the best one will be

4. Maine tere liye bahut fight kiya hai

It may so happen that the manager is extremely unhappy with the subordinate\’s performance but feels that it might not be appropriate to tell why.

People hate delivering bad news. They hate the idea of hurting other people\’s feelings. So they wait. And wait. And wait. and keep passing the buck.

The manager blames the HR.The HR, in turn, absolves himself/herself of any role in the ratings normalization

Don\’t you think that this approach leaves the person confused, unfocused, and even madder at you than they would have been otherwise.

When you’re giving critical feedback, you have one job—to deliver it in the most effective way possible. Why should it always have to be sugar coated.

If you spot something that needs to be corrected, do it now. State the problem right away. Don\’t couch it in flowery language. Tell the person what is wrong, but let them know you will help them fix it. Be up-front.

The takeaway?

Stop being selfish and protecting your own feelings.

Help your team member. Point out the mistakes early so they can work on their shortcomings and advance in their careers

P.S. Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a man’s growth without destroying his roots. Clear content, neutral tone, and temperate phrasing will save the day for your subordinates