Like many people, over the holidays I read quite a few books and in a couple of the books on leadership, the authors were quite critical of the feedback approach that is sometimes referred to as the sh** sandwich.
One of the books that were critical of this approach was – which is a great book and I would highly recommend reading it, particularly if you are a founder.
Put simply, this feedback approach follows this process:
Some authors argue that this may work with more junior employees, however, a more experienced person sees the compliments as simply filling time. They know the bad stuff is on its way, and that is all they will really hear, remember, or care about.
I have used this approach for over 30 years, and given the criticisms, I felt it warranted an article to explain how this feedback approach can indeed be an effective tool to provide powerful and impactful feedback. My overriding message is that it is not about the order of the feedback, it is about HOW you do it. I have broken the “HOW” into three groups: THE PROCESS, YOUR DELIVERY, THEIR RECEPTIVENESS.
An example is below:What I appreciate
How you can be more effective
Giving impactful feedback is achieved by using a structured process, however, HOW you do it is more important. can assist you and your team on this journey on building a strong feedback structure and culture.
Originally published on LinkedIn. Read the original
