Help the people you lead thrive by giving feedback well
TC North //April 28, 2019//
Help the people you lead thrive by giving feedback well
TC North //April 28, 2019//
What’s the ideal balance between positive and critical feedback? Well, it depends. Here are three situations:
With your significant other. Research indicates that if you give your significant other critical feedback (and you want the relationship to last), you need at least a 5-to-1 ratio of positive versus critical feedback.
With kids. To bring out the best in children (either yours or other’s), use the same ratio above.
With employees. In Gino Wickman and Rene Boer's book “How to Be a Great Boss,” they write, “Great bosses give both genuine praise and helpful criticism [corrective feedback].” And they define four types of bosses:
Source: Wickman and Boer. 2016. “How to Be a Great Boss.” BenBella Books Inc.
Quadrant 1: The “Cheerleader” excessively praises, which eventually becomes disingenuous and can lead to mediocrity and poor morale.
Quadrant 2: The “Poor Boss” creates a feedback vacuum that leaves employees wondering what’s expected, how they’re doing, and how they can get a better job and boss.
Quadrant 3: The “Taskmaster” is either afraid to praise or thinks praise leads to complacency or reward-seeking, such as a pay increase. The praise vacuum leaves people wondering if they can ever meet expectations, and it can damage their confidence in performing their jobs.
Quadrant 4: The “Great Boss” gives authentic praise and corrective feedback to develop high-performing individuals, teams, and a healthy organizational culture with high levels of accountability. You can find more about this here.
The “Great Boss” provides:
If you manage or lead people, understanding and applying the ideal balance between positive and critical (or corrective) feedback will help you and others thrive.