Employee Feedback Mechanisms

In my first year as a manager I alienated one of my reports by giving him too much feedback in a direct and pointed way. The feedback was "right" but delivered to bluntly and thus unwelcome. Just because you “can” give feedback doesn’t mean you should. The power of your feedback comes from the trust you build with your reports. Here is how you can build it: The most important thing to understand is that even if you have the institutional authority to deliver this feedback (your title), you need the relational authority before you can deliver it effectively. Read this line again please - doing so will help you avoid either giving pain or making problems for yourself (I did both). This means that your reports need to trust and respect you before they will listen to any feedback you give. You can build this trust and respect by: 0) Being Empathetic I was too blunt. I thought that only being right or wrong mattered, not how I said things or the judgment in my tone and words. I lacked Emotional Intelligence (EQ). How you say things matters, and this means not just the words you say but the real intent behind them. My intention in that early review was not truly focused on helping the person, but rather on scolding him into better behavior. I'm not surprised he reacted poorly to it. 1) Being Consistent Good managers are consistently giving feedback—both bad and good—to their reports. Make sure you are recognizing and acknowledging your employees’ strengths as much (or more) than you are pointing out their areas for improvement. This will make them feel comfortable with you pointing out room for improvement because they know you see them for more than their flaws. 2) Never surprise someone with a review. This is related to point 1. If you are consistently giving small pieces of feedback, a more serious piece of negative feedback should not blindside your employee. They should know that it is coming and understand what the issue is. 3) Deliver corrective feedback ASAP, and use clear examples. As soon as you see a pattern of behavior that needs to be addressed, address it using clear evidence. This gives the employee the chance to reflect on the behavior while it is still fresh in their minds, not months later when their review comes around. 4) Check in to confirm that you are being heard correctly Ask the employee if they understand the feedback you are giving and why you are giving it. 5) Be specific enough to drive change The more specific behaviors and examples you can use to support your feedback, the better your employee can understand that you aren’t speaking from a place of dislike or bias. This also gives them more concrete references to inform their behavior change. Readers—What other ways do you build a relationship before giving feedback? (Or, how have you messed this up?)

If your feedback isn't changing behavior, you're not giving feedback—you're just complaining. After 25 years of coaching leaders through difficult conversations, I've learned that most feedback fails because it focuses on making the giver feel better rather than making the receiver better. Why most feedback doesn't work: ↳ It's delivered months after the fact ↳ It attacks personality instead of addressing behavior ↳ It assumes the person knows what to do differently ↳ It's given when emotions are high ↳ It lacks specific examples or clear direction The feedback framework that actually changes behavior: TIMING: Soon, not eventually. Give feedback within 48 hours when possible Don't save it all for annual reviews. Address issues while they're still relevant. INTENT: Lead with purpose and use statements like - "I'm sharing this because I want to see you succeed" or "This feedback comes from a place of support." Make your positive intent explicit. STRUCTURE: Use the SBI Model. ↳Situation: When and where it happened ↳Behavior: What you observed (facts, not interpretations) ↳Impact: The effect on results, relationships, or culture COLLABORATION: Solve together by using statements such as - ↳"What's your perspective on this?" ↳"What would help you succeed in this area?" ↳"How can I better support you moving forward?" Great feedback is a gift that keeps giving. When people trust your feedback, they seek it out. When they implement it successfully, they become advocates for your leadership. Your feedback skills significantly impact your leadership effectiveness. Coaching can help; let's chat. | Joshua Miller What's the best feedback tip/advice, and what made it effective? #executivecoaching #communication #leadership #performance

Most team meetings are just report-outs dressed as collaboration. Someone walks through a 20-slide deck, a few people nod, a few multitask, and then the real feedback comes later via Slack messages, hallway conversations, or not at all. By the time the truth surfaces, it’s often too late to help. That’s why I’ve become such a champion of one of our most powerful High Return Practices: Stress Testing. Stress Testing is how world-class teams pressure-test big ideas before they hit the real world. It replaces “sit and listen” with “see something, say something” in a way that’s safe, structured, and supportive. Here’s how it works: Step 1: A team member presents their project in just one slide. What’s been achieved so far? Where are they struggling? What’s planned next? Step 2: The team’s job is to actively challenge that. Step 3: In groups of three, team members discuss: What challenges or risks do we see? What innovations or advice can we offer? What support can we give to help this succeed? Step 4: Feedback is documented in a shared space. Not anonymous, not vague but actionable and respectful. Step 5: The presenter closes with one of three responses: Yes, I’ll act on this. No, here’s why not. Maybe, we need to explore it more. That simple follow-through keeps trust intact and ensures no one feels steamrolled. Stress Testing invites everyone into shared accountability and helps the whole team see blind spots before they become roadblocks. And the best part is it doesn’t take hours. You can run a full stress test in 20 minutes and walk away with more clarity, more momentum, and more ownership than most teams get in a week.

Most leaders don’t struggle to give feedback because they lack good intentions, they struggle because they lack the right frameworks. We say things like: 🗣 “This wasn’t good enough.” 🗣 “You need to speak up more.” 🗣 “That project could’ve been tighter.” But vague feedback isn’t helpful, it’s confusing. And often, it demoralizes more than it motivates. That’s why I love this visual from Rachel Turner (VC Talent Lab). It lays out four highly actionable, research-backed frameworks for giving better feedback: → The 3 Ps Model: Praise → Problem → Potential. Start by recognizing what worked. Then gently raise what didn’t. End with a suggestion for how things could improve. → The SBI Model: Situation → Behavior → Impact. This strips out judgment and makes feedback objective. Instead of “You’re too aggressive in meetings,” it becomes: “In yesterday’s meeting (Situation), you spoke over colleagues multiple times (Behavior), which made some feel unable to share (Impact).” → Harvard’s HEAR Framework: A powerful structure for disagreement. Hedge claims. Emphasize agreement. Acknowledge their point. Reframe to solutions. → General Feedback Tips: – Be timely. – Be specific. – Focus on behavior, not identity. – Reinforce the positive (and remember the 5:1 rule). Here’s what I tell senior FMCG leaders all the time: Good feedback builds performance. Great feedback builds culture. The best feedback builds trust, and that’s what retains your best people. So next time you hesitate before giving hard feedback? Remember this: → You’re not there to criticize. → You’re there to build capacity. Save this as your cheat sheet. Share it with your teams. Let’s make feedback a tool for growth, not fear. #Leadership #FMCG #TalentDevelopment #PerformanceCulture #FeedbackMatters #ExecutiveDevelop

Try this strategy to get better feedback from your team Picture this: You just spent 15 minutes of a group meeting reviewing your plans for an upcoming project. You painstakingly walked through each detail, key opportunities, potential roadblocks, and next steps. You brought this group together to help provide feedback. But now you’re now staring at a room (or a Zoom screen) of completely silent colleagues. “What feedback do you have?” you ask. A few shrugs. A half-hearted “Looks good.” And…nothing. I’ve been there. Want to get better feedback on your ideas from your team? Try this simple shift: Instead of asking, “Any feedback?”, reframe it to: “What’s missing?” Why this works: ✅ It signals your idea isn’t final and there’s room for their input. ✅ It makes team members feel more comfortable pointing out gaps or concerns. ✅ It invites collaboration rather than approval. ✅ increases buy-in. Because when people contribute, they commit to the idea. This strategy is especially valuable when developing new strategies, launching a program, or preparing for a big presentation. The best ideas are built together. When will you use the “What’s missing” strategy this week? Try it, and message me to let me know how it goes. I’d love to hear!

'I'd rather manage anyone else'—why Gen Z has become the least wanted generation in corporate America. As someone in Gen Z, this data is... interesting. ResumeTemplates surveyed 1,000+ managers. 68% say managing Gen Z feels like "raising children." The complaints are predictable: need constant reminders, require emotional reassurance, can't handle basic workplace norms. Here's the uncomfortable truth: they're not entirely wrong. But they're missing the bigger picture. We grew up with infinite feedback loops (likes, comments, streaks). We expect rapid iteration and transparent communication. Traditional managers interpret this as "needy" when it's actually how we're wired to perform at our highest level. What Gen Z actually wants (and why it drives results): - Frequent feedback cycles: Not annual reviews—weekly check-ins with clear metrics and course corrections - Transparent communication: Direct feedback without corporate fluff. Tell us exactly what success looks like and how we're tracking - Growth frameworks: Clear progression paths with specific skills to develop, not vague promises of "future opportunities" - Flexible systems: We optimize for output, not hours in a chair Practical tools that actually work: - Dextego: Soft skills training for sales teams that speaks our language—gamified, data-driven skill development - 15Five: Weekly check-ins that create the feedback loops we crave without overwhelming managers - Notion/Monday.com: Project management that gives us ownership and visibility into impact - BetterUp: 1:1 coaching that addresses the "emotional reassurance" gap with professional development The real opportunity here: For Gen Z: Stop waiting for permission. Learn the game, then change it. Every complaint in that survey is a skill you can develop in 30-90 days if you're intentional about it. For managers: The Gen Z employees who scale fastest get clear frameworks, frequent check-ins, and direct feedback. Treat us like the high-performance systems we are, not the corporate drones you're used to. For companies: The first organizations to crack the Gen Z code will dominate the next decade. We're not going anywhere—we're your future workforce, customers, and leaders. Most people will read this survey and complain. Smart companies will see it as a competitive advantage waiting to be captured. Your move.

Harsh truth: Most managers give feedback at exactly the wrong time. And it's costing you engagement, retention, and results. Here's what research shows: • Morning feedback is 25% more effective • Midweek feedback gets 40% better implementation • Regular feedback boosts engagement by 31% When I implement feedback systems in organizations, we use process confirmation: ↳ One process review monthly ↳ Clear documentation of correct execution ↳ Systematic improvement tracking The science-backed framework: ↳ Schedule feedback before lunch (peak brain receptivity) ↳ Target Tuesday-Thursday (avoid Monday blues) ↳ Keep specific issues to 5-10 minutes ↳ Document improvements systematically ↳ Follow up within 7 days This prevents the classic "waiting for annual review" problem. Instead, managers confirm processes regularly, catch issues early, and build trust through consistency. Start tomorrow: 1. Block 30 minutes before lunch for your next feedback session 2. Create a simple tracking template 3. Schedule one process review with each team member What's your biggest challenge with giving feedback? Reply below ⬇️ ___ 👋 Hi, I'm Sharon Grossman! I help organizations reduce turnover. ♻️ Repost to support your network. 🔔 Follow me for leadership, burnout, and retention strategies

Your brain can't process praise and criticism simultaneously. That's why traditional feedback methods are harmful. But there's ONE discovery that creates growth, not resistance: Direct. Then Connect. Neuroscience shows our brains process praise and criticism through completely different neural pathways. That's why the "feedback sandwich" fails so spectacularly. When we buffer criticism with praise... The brain cannot process these mixed signals effectively. People see through it anyway. Studies show 74% of professionals detect sandwich feedback within seconds. Having directly managed 300+ people and coached over 100 founders on leadership and culture, I’ve seen the real impact of feedback. Here’s what works... Two simple steps: 1. DIRECT: First, get permission and deliver unfiltered feedback. "May I share some observations about your presentation?" Then state exactly what needs improvement. This activates voluntary participation, and increases receptivity greatly. 2. CONNECT: Then, separately reaffirm their value "Your contributions remain vital to our success." The key? Complete separation between these steps. Direct feedback gives a clean signal about what needs to change. Connection maintains psychological safety. They know their status isn't threatened. Getting permission isn’t a minor detail - it’s crucial. It fosters respect and trust before you give tough feedback. Setting the stage for it to land well. The neuroscience behind this is clear: A Gallup study shows regular feedback mechanisms result in 14.9% increase in employee engagement and a 21% increase in profitability. Companies implementing this see remarkable results: • Cisco saw 54% faster resolution of team conflicts • Adobe reported 30% reduction in employee turnover • Pixar found 22% higher willingness to challenge assumptions • Microsoft under Nadella accelerated deployment cycles by 31% The traditional sandwich approach can feel safer, but it creates distrust. Direct Then Connect can feel scarier, but it builds psychological safety. Humans are wired to prioritize belonging above almost everything. When feedback threatens our status, our brains go into protection mode. When feedback becomes clear and non-threatening, learning accelerates. Implementing this approach requires courage. You have to trust your relationship is strong enough to handle direct feedback. But that's the paradox: By being more direct, you actually build stronger relationships. Try it with your team this week. You might feel uncomfortable at first, but watch what happens to your culture. When feedback becomes clear and non-threatening, learning accelerates. And companies that learn faster win. - If you liked this post? Follow us for more insights on conscious leadership and building companies from the inside out. Proud to coach with Inside-Out Leadership: executive coaching by trained coaches who have founded, funded, scaled, & sold their own companies.

I've always strived to understand how engaged my teams are in their mission, and what’s getting in their way that I or my leadership team can help remove. At previous companies, we used quarterly or semi-annual surveys. While they did surface issues, the format had limitations: Forced: Long surveys that are often forced, with managers pushing for participation metrics. Untimely: A quarter is too long; feedback suffers from recency bias. One-way: Comments can’t spark conversation, so team-specific issues often go unaddressed. At Cohesity, thanks to the leadership of Rebecca Adams, we use Workday PeakOn for continuous employee engagement, and it’s made a meaningful difference: No pressure: Brief, biweekly surveys with optional participation. 30–40% of the team usually responds because they want to. Timely: Focus areas evolve over time, so we’re focused on what matters now. Two-way dialog: Anonymous conversations let managers respond to comments without revealing employee identity. I’ve learned a great deal through these exchanges, and it’s gratifying when team members choose to continue the conversation openly as trust develops. Our engagement scores aren’t perfect, and as in any real business, not all issues can be solved quickly. However, I’m grateful for the steady pulse and the visibility on issues as they emerge. I highly recommend a continuous listening approach to any leader serious about building a better culture. #EmployeeExperience #Leadership #PeopleFirst #ContinuousEngagement #WorkdayPeakon

Teams with continuous feedback programs show 23% higher profitability and 18% greater productivity than those relying on outdated annual performance reviews. AI ALPI research has uncovered a critical shift in top-performing HR departments. While 76% of organizations still rely on annual reviews, market leaders are leveraging technology-enabled continuous feedback loops that drive real business outcomes. → Weekly micro-feedback sessions are replacing quarterly or annual reviews, creating psychological safety and real-time course correction ↳ This approach reduces employee anxiety and creates 3x more actionable insights than traditional methods → AI-powered tools now enable performance tracking without the administrative burden ↳ HR leaders implementing these systems report 42% reduction in management time spent on performance administration → Human-centered leadership training has become a critical enabler ↳ Organizations investing in empathy-driven feedback skills see 37% higher retention rates among high performers Companies that implemented continuous feedback systems initially saw a temporary 15% drop in satisfaction as managers adjusted to more frequent, meaningful conversations. By month three, both engagement and productivity metrics surpassed previous levels by significant margins. 🔥 Want more breakdowns like this? Follow along for insights on: → Getting started with AI in HR teams → Scaling AI adoption across HR functions → Building AI competency in HR departments → Taking HR AI platforms to enterprise market → Developing HR AI products that solve real problems #ContinuousFeedback #HRTech #FutureOfWork #LeadershipDevelopment #PerformanceManagement