• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

By Root 197 0

as soon as any unacceptable behavior or problems occur. Ask to see the person for a moment in private. Address the behavior directly and express your concern about it. You should avoid showing irritation or anger. To keep the conversation focused on the desired result—improved behavior—it is best to be straightforward and factual. Taking that tack will help keep the individual from becoming emotional. Allow the person to explain. Make a point of listening actively to the individual’s point of view. Then, work together in a collaborative way to arrive at a mutually acceptable solution to the problem. Conclude the meeting with an agreement of how and when positive action will occur.

Red Flags

TUNING OUT

Negative feedback can be harmful when it isn’t presented as constructive criticism. Look for these warning signs when someone is responding to negative feedback:

Shock and dismay, strong emotion

Argumentation, dispute

Withdrawal, nonresponsiveness, silence, apparent inattention

Nervousness, jitters, fidgeting

Dos & Dont’s

DELIVERING NEGATIVE FEEDBACK

Most people want to know how to do a better job at work and truly appreciate feedback. However, the way that you deliver negative feedback has everything to do with how it’s received.

Do practice active listening to defuse conflict, avoid misunderstanding, and soften the impact of verbal disagreements.

Don’t avoid giving negative feedback if it’s warranted.

Don’t be overly negative or harsh when discussing performance.

Don’t allow yourself to show anger or irritation during the conversation.

Do put a positive spin on negative feedback to make it easier to hear.

Don’t attack, lest your employee go on the defensive and tune you out.

Don’t forget that a respectful approach makes the message most effective.

Do allow a person to explain and to offer a possible solution to a problem.

Do give employees examples of what to do right.

Do create a mutually acceptable plan for rectifying a problem.

If you handle the conversation correctly, the person is more likely to respect you and take your negative feedback to heart. In the end, your onetime problem employee may become one of your stars.

LEADING DURING CHANGE

It is often said that change is the only constant in business (and in life, for that matter). Change can be disruptive and even demoralizing in a workplace—but it can also allow for positive energy and promise.

A leader has a lot to do with how change is viewed. If he or she is able to cope with change, embrace it, and find a way to lead employees through it, change can strengthen an organization.

“A corporation is a living organism; it has to continue to shed its skin. Methods have to change. Focus has to change. Values have to change. The sum total of those changes is transformation.”

—Andrew Grove,

founder of Intel

A leader faces a significant obstacle in leading during change: the status quo. Most people become accustomed to routine. It is comforting to them to repeat the same tasks. They are secure in the fact that they know how to do things and what to expect. They are in control of the situation.

What happens when all that changes? Suddenly, the status quo is turned on its head. Change could mean new rules, new processes, a new boss. Even worse, if change brings layoffs, it can also involve losing friends, colleagues, coworkers.

Leaders Gain Acceptance for Change

The immediate reaction to change is often resistance, even fear. Change represents uncharted territory and a potential loss of control. Strong leaders recognize that this is a common reaction to the prospect of change.

THE BOTTOM LINE

LEADERS TAKE THE LONG VIEW

Senior executives who lead change are often way ahead of their people’s ability to accept it, according to management consultants William Bridges and Susan Mitchell Bridges.

They call this phenomenon “the marathon effect”: leaders who are high in the organization tend to move through the change process very quickly. They see the destination before others even begin the race.

A good leader should always remember that