As a high-performance leadership coach, I’ve observed a number of leaders who believe that to be respected, they must be feared. But I disagree. No one has to be feared to be respected. In my opinion, leaders must be direct. Forbes agrees with this idea and published an article I wrote about this topic. A replica of the article is written below and you can also access the Forbes version here: Click Here to go to Forbes.
As Published in Forbes:
When it’s necessary for leaders to provide negative feedback — and every leader will have to at some point in their careers — I believe they need to prioritize directness over their need to be liked. I’ve seen many leaders “sandwich” constructive criticism between positive remarks to soften the blow. It makes sense — we’re all human. It can be difficult, and at times uncomfortable, for a lot of us to deliver bad news.
A common term for this methodology — giving positive feedback, followed by negative feedback, which is then followed up with more positive feedback — is known as a “feedback sandwich.”
Here is a hypothetical example of what sandwiching feedback often looks like: “Your punctuality and work ethic is better than that of many of your co-workers. I admire that, but I need you to get your numbers up, or we’re going to have a difficult discussion. Remember, I believe you show more promise than most employees I’ve worked with.”
This might be something you’ve heard before or even a similar message you’ve shared with employees in the past. The problem? The real gold here, aka the negative message that must be communicated, can get easily lost because you’ve clouded it with positive messages.
I’ve found that many leaders use this approach, but some have been questioning its effectiveness for years. For example, the Harvard Business Review reported in 2013 that leaders could actually undermine their feedback when it’s sandwiched. Another study from 2011 found that though positive feedback is a crucial part of an employee’s growth, experts actually sought — and were more responsive to — negative feedback. I believe the sandwich method is an ineffective way to communicate information about an employee’s performance.
Here are four tips to help you steer clear of the feedback sandwich:
- Be direct with your feedback.
If you’re going to congratulate someone on a job well done, do it. Don’t confuse the message. When you have to criticize somebody or point out their shortfalls, don’t confuse them by offering mixed messages. Stick with one subject when presenting feedback to help them gain clarity on exactly what needs to be improved upon.
- Offer feedback in real time.
I believe the best opportunity to have an impact with your feedback is to offer it as soon as possible. For example, if an employee is not handling a client the right way, don’t wait until the end of the week to review it with them (and make sure you remember step No. 1). Try to talk to your employee or team member promptly so that the instance is fresh in both of your minds and they can learn from it.
- Don’t reverse-sandwich.
In my experience, many leaders adopt the sandwich approach because they believe they are providing balanced, well-rounded feedback. But in reality, this so-called balanced approach is usually not valid when I ask my sandwich-loving clients, “Do you also think it is necessary to sandwich positive feedback in between layers of negative feedback?” While the positive-negative-positive feedback model is most familiar with sandwiching, some leaders attempt to also use it in its opposite form. If you’re trying to pay a compliment, don’t put it in between two negative pieces of information. Let your feedback stand on its own.
- Explore opportunities for improvement.
This can be both immediate and long-term. When you present negative feedback to an employee, it’s essential that they know how to fix the issue. For instance, with a salesperson, you could immediately give them some tips for dealing with a client while also looking for outside sales training for them in the future.
Don’t get me wrong, I know it is important to provide positive feedback. But I believe you should aim to avoid sandwiching constructive criticism because that defeats the purpose; I’ve found the growth opportunity might be lost, and both the positive and negative feedback can lose its value. Feedback, whether it is positive or constructive, is best shared as soon as possible in a direct stand-alone manner.
Do you have blocks that are interfering with your leadership success? If you are frustrated and want to talk about it, contact me to schedule a conversation that could change the way you’ve been leading others here: http://maricarmenpizarro.com/contact-mari-carmen/
