Giving Feedback to Your Boss

Summary

• Real feedback is about suggesting what to do next time, rather than criticizing who they are.
• When giving feedback to a boss, focus on their behavior and actions, not their identity as a person.
• Phrase your feedback in a positive and constructive way. For example, suggest scheduling meetings at times when they wouldn't need to be moved frequently.
• Avoid negative statements like, "You're always moving the meetings." Instead, offer a solution such as, "Could we pick a time that doesn't change often?"
• Give a directive that helps improve the situation, rather than making it personal.

Video

How To Take Action

I would suggest implementing these feedback strategies in your small business or personal growth journey to improve communication and relationships:

• Focus on Actions, Not Personality: When giving feedback, talk about what someone did rather than who they are. For example, instead of saying, "You're always late," you could say, "It would be helpful if we could start our meetings on time."

• Be Positive and Constructive: Frame your feedback in a way that provides a solution. Instead of complaining, offer a helpful alternative. For instance, you could say, "Can we pick a time for our meetings that works for everyone and doesn't need to change often?" This keeps the conversation positive and actionable.

• Offer Clear Directives: Rather than making negative comments, suggest a clear, simple action. This approach helps the other person know exactly what to do next time. Saying, "Could we ensure our meeting times are more consistent?" provides a clear path forward.

• Practice Low-Cost, High-Value Feedback: Implementing these feedback techniques doesn't require much time or money but can significantly improve your team's dynamics and productivity. Effective communication is essential and it's free to start practicing today.

• Relate Feedback to Outcomes: When suggesting changes, explain how it benefits the overall goal. This makes the feedback more relatable and easier to accept. For example, "By having regular meeting times, we can be more organized and save time for everyone."

Using these strategies can transform your workplace or personal interactions into more productive and positive experiences. Focus on what can be done and how it can help everyone involved.

Full Transcript

how can younger employees give feedback to a boss without stepping on their toes real feedback is telling somebody what to do instead or telling somebody what to do next time and it's about the do not a who so you make it about what they did or a behavior rather than who they are as a person if you approached your boss and said something to the degree of like hey I would love if when we scheduled these meetings if we could schedule them at a time when you wouldn't have to move them so much because I've noticed that we've had to move the meetings multiple times if there's a that works that we could pick so that it doesn't move so often that would be fantastic and so rather than saying something negative like hey you're always moving the meetings it's really up my day instead you're giving them an alternative of what to do and so it's giving somebody a directive rather than insulting somebody