Brendon Burchard, author of the book, High-Performance Habits, has a quote that says, “Consistency in receiving feedback is the hallmark of consistent growth.”
The way to get the most out of your employees is to provide them with consistent feedback, which pushes their performance to the next level. However, the feedback that people need isn’t often the same as what they want to hear.
Therefore, this article is intended to provide some guidance on giving empathetic and useful feedback for different types of employees. Here we go.
The Steady Decliner
There may be someone on your team whose performance as of late seems to be heading in the wrong direction. They may have started to put less care into their work or they’ve begun to slack off.
However, the key question is: How can you reverse the trend?
The thing is a conservation and some feedback will go a long way. If you talk about what’s creating their lack of performance and discuss what needs to be done, that will be a good start.
It’s not always going to be up to you to find every solution. However, showing empathy, encouragement and support will give them comfort and hopefully inspire them to lift their performance for you and the team.
The Top-Performer
When there’s someone on your team who’s a clear top-performer, how do you reward them, show your appreciation for them and keep pushing them?
It shouldn’t be overcomplicated. Speak with them and be sincere and specific. Talk about specific examples of how they’ve helped you, your team, and your business.
If you want to give them further rewards, do so in a way that fits your budget and is personally meaningful to them. For example, you could get them conference tickets, vouchers for an experience or time off.
The Flatliner
If an employee seems to be stagnated in their role, you should first question if their position is one that needs constant improvement. Is their performance weighing down the rest of the team, or are they still serving their purpose?
To inspire them to take work to another level, you should discuss with them their vision of their future and career aspirations. Also, make sure you reflect on how far they’ve come so they’re aware they can do more.