Note: Running Fridays in FromGregsHead.com, is a continuing series of tips brought to you by Greg Price. These run Saturday mornings during the BusinessMaker’s Radio Show on KPRC 950AM. Audio files can be found on the Entrepreneur’s Playbook™ page of the PKF Texas website.
One of the most important things you can do as a leader in your firm is to provide adequate and timely feedback to your team.
Timely feedback gives you and your team members the chance to begin a dialogue about areas of success and areas that need improvement. Relationships are built one conversation at a time.
If feedback is negative, phrase your conversation in such a way that it is constructive encouragement rather than blame or judgment.
Begin on a positive note, find something that was successful. Sandwich the negative feedback between positive points.
For example:
“John, I’m really glad you got that report to me on time. I’ve noticed that you have missed several important conference calls recently. How can we work out a schedule so you will be able to finish your work and still be able to join in on the calls? I was glad to see you help Tina yesterday. Thanks.”
When giving feedback, remember to be an active listener. By doing this, you will be able to judge how well your comments are being received and understood. A great resource for this kind of communication is the book, Fierce Conversations, by Susan Scott.