Feedback: An Effective Tool for Interacting with Employees

How important do you think it is to give feedback to your subordinates, and should an experienced manager have this tool in their arsenal?

Let's explore this important question together.

Let's start with a definition: feedback is a behavior management tool that allows you to encourage and reinforce effective behavior while correcting ineffective behavior. Feedback is part of the Manager's Standard Work (MSW) tools. Proper and timely feedback, based on observation and situational analysis, helps a manager "fine-tune" their subordinates' actions, engage them, improve efficiency, and foster their development. Feedback plays a major role in shaping the team's microclimate, influencing the employee's attitude toward assigned tasks and the quality of their execution, and impacting the safety of both the employee and their colleagues.

There are several types of feedback, but we will focus on the two main ones:

1. Supportive feedback - focuses on the employee's successes, identifying which actions and skills led to the result. It strengthens a person's motivation and confidence.

Example: Dmitry, you did an excellent job with the assigned task during the project implementation: you took all requirements into account, correctly distributed the workload across the team, and submitted the project documentation on time — the client was very satisfied. Keep it up!

1. Corrective feedback - is needed to address problematic areas. This type of feedback is used when errors occur frequently and adjustments to the employee's actions or behavior are required.

Example: Dmitry, I noticed that you have started making frequent mistakes during repair work, which could lead to serious consequences and injuries. Over the past three months, you have had 4 Near Miss incidents. Let's think about why this is happening and how to avoid it in the future.

Feedback should be given to:

• Reinforce successful behavior — relates to supportive feedback
• Correct ineffective behavior — relates to corrective feedback
• Increase team engagement and help employees develop

When requesting feedback, it is important to:

• Gain insight into how your actions are perceived by others
• Identify priority areas for your own development
• Improve the efficiency of your department and enhance cross-functional collaboration

PRINCIPLES: HOW TO GIVE FEEDBACK

• 4:1 BALANCE – I try to highlight successes and express gratitude for good work 4 times more often than I criticize.
• FORMAT – I praise employees for their successes publicly, but provide corrective feedback in private.
• TIMELINESS – I give feedback immediately, ideally right at the moment of the observed action. I do not postpone the discussion for "later."
• SPECIFICITY – I discuss the employee's specific behavior in the given situation, not their personality.

PRINCIPLES: HOW TO RECEIVE FEEDBACK

• INITIATIVE – I proactively request feedback and willingly receive it from colleagues in order to develop and improve my results.
• GRATITUDE – I thank the person for their feedback and look for the value in their words.
• OPENNESS – I listen carefully without making excuses or getting defensive. If I don't understand the person's perspective, I ask clarifying questions.

SUPPORTIVE FEEDBACK ALGORITHM

The employee demonstrates target behavior and high achievements in their work.

Example: While conducting a line walk, you notice your employee Alexander stop a colleague who was distracted and didn't see a hose in their path. Immediately after, Alexander took action to remove the hose. You decide to give him supportive feedback right then and there.

GIVING FEEDBACK	EXAMPLE	RECEIVING FEEDBACK
Step 1. State the situation for which I want to give supportive feedback.	Alexander, it's great that you think about safety while doing your job. I want to thank you for that!	I listen carefully and do not interrupt.
Step 2. Describe the specific actions of the employee that I want to reinforce for the future.	Just now, you reacted quickly, spotted an injury risk, and stopped your colleague. Furthermore, you immediately eliminated the hazard so that other employees wouldn't be at risk.	I note which of my actions were effective and useful.
Step 3. Highlight the importance of the employee's actions for the department or the Company.	It is important to always think about safety, spot risks, and take action to prevent injuries. You showed that safety issues are not just a formality for you. Your approach is an excellent example for your colleagues.	I express gratitude for the positive assessment of my actions.
Step 4. Express readiness to support such actions in the future.	I am glad I can rely on you regarding safety matters. Keep up the good work! Be a role model for your colleagues!	I express my readiness to act similarly in the future.

CORRECTIVE FEEDBACK ALGORITHM

• The employee's behavior deviates from the target, and behavioral correction is needed.
• Unsatisfactory performance by an adjacent department negatively affects the results of your department or the enterprise as a whole.

Example: During a meeting, Maxim received a comment from his colleague Ilya, who works in an adjacent function, requesting a review of a standard business process. Maxim refused his colleague, citing that "this is how it's done" and that the process has always worked well.

Giving Feedback	Example	Receiving Feedback
Step 1. State the situation for which I want to give corrective feedback.	Maxim, I want to discuss your response to Ilya's request during today's meeting.	I listen carefully and do not interrupt.
Step 2. Ask questions to understand the causes of the situation, as well as the person's opinion on the issue being discussed.	How do you evaluate your own response? What was your goal? What did you want to achieve? What do you think your words led to?	I express my position honestly and directly, explaining the reasons for my actions.
Step 3. Express my opinion and provide arguments as to why I consider such behavior ineffective and why it is important to act differently.	Ilya and I are working toward a common goal. Because of your refusal, the deadline for achieving this goal is delayed. If we had discussed Ilya's proposal together, we might have found a solution that would allow us to get results faster. This is an opportunity to establish collaboration with adjacent departments and improve the business process, making it more convenient and simpler for our internal clients.	I try to understand the other person's perspective and figure out why this issue is important to them.
Step 4. Ask the person what ideas they have, how they can change their behavior, and what actions on their part will lead to the desired result. I express my own opinion. I make sure the person has understood me and is ready to fulfill the agreements.	How do you plan to proceed? (listen to the person's response). Yes, I agree, we need to organize a meeting with Ilya and discuss this issue again. Please send me a calendar invitation.	I express specific ideas on what I should do differently and how to achieve this. I discuss them with the person. I summarize the agreements.

Let's summarize and conclude how important it is to give feedback to your colleagues and subordinate staff.

If a manager does not communicate with their employees, and neither gives nor requests feedback, then the manager themselves, their employees, and the company all suffer from these actions or inactions.

The quality and final result of work are directly linked to properly established communication between the manager and the employee. Practice often shows that a manager's expectations do not align with the actual results of the work or tasks completed by their employees. The reasons are trivial: a lack of properly established communication. As a result, major problems can arise, including a high risk of injuries and financial losses for the company.

And how often do you provide or request feedback?