Opinion: Stop giving criticism that ruins morale

When I spoke at a national retail chain manager’s conference, the national director, a bear of a man, opened the meeting. I wanted my talk to go well as any I’d ever delivered, and the audience wanted an inspiring, beneficial and fun conference.

The large room was filled with people’s excitement and positive attitudes. There was only one problem: The boss was upset about last year’s conference.

All of us sat there as he welcomed everyone then unleashed his pent-up irritation. He admonished the entire group for not wearing last year’s themed T-shirts, for partying too late and for dragging in with too little energy the following mornings. His criticism lasted several minutes.

All I could think was, “How do I rescue this situation and get the audience refocused?” I racked my brain for a lighthearted remark to reset the mood.

When the big boss finished, he looked to me to carry the next 90 minutes. I looked at the audience. Heads were down, and smiles were replaced with blank stares. The room was eerily silent.

Over the years, I’ve learned that expressing criticism to employees isn’t something most managers are comfortable with, nor especially good at delivering. What’s more, they usually haven’t been trained.

Giving beneficial criticism helps people accomplish challenging work. But insufficient feedback leaves your best employees unsatisfied because they want to see continuous improvement in themselves and the team. Here are seven tips for giving helpful criticism.

1. Use common sense. Don’t lump everyone together in the criticism like the boss did. Confront the offenders privately, not publicly.
2. Realize silence won’t fix the problem. I made this mistake as a business owner, and it made matters worse. The employee’s performance didn’t improve on its own, and my silence communicated to him that his work was exemplary. Take some advice from Barney on “The Andy Griffith Show,” and “Just nip it in the bud.”
3. Create sufficient accountability. Accountability will never be so obvious to employees that it doesn’t have to be explicitly clarified. That seems obvious, but too many managers presume that it will be for employees if responsibility is clear from their perspective. That’s wishful thinking. Instead, reinforce expectations consistently. Assign the work to be completed along with the responsibility for outcomes to your employee.
4. Arrange for follow-up. Follow-up should happen as frequently as the situation merits. Some managers wait until they hear the problem isn’t fixed, and then they deal with the employee. Don’t do that; intervene before it worsens.
5. Don’t sandwich your criticism. If you have a positive relationship with employees, you should hold straightforward dialogue, give constructive criticism and end on a positive note. It’s a mistake to confront an employee and feel that you must find something positive to sandwich the negative feedback between.
6. Stick to the work that needs fixing, not character. Making assumptions about someone’s character can turn a minor misunderstanding into a serious misjudgment and problem. One leader I coached said reckless things to employees, like, “It’s obvious to me you don’t care.” Emphasize the work that falls short, but don’t fire judgmental zingers at people.
7. Provide concrete solutions. Give people a simple action plan that provides a complete performance cycle, identifying the problem, relevant examples and concrete workable solutions. I’ve interviewed hundreds of employees who claim to get no help from their manager’s feedback because it’s not clear how they’re supposed to make the desired changes.

While the audience eventually livened up a bit, it wasn’t my most exemplary performance. The emotional and relational damage the big boss created with his criticism was unfortunate. Some managers apologized to me for the group’s mood, but it wasn’t their fault.

He should have handled his criticism before the conference. Then he could have promoted the current year’s T-shirts and meetings lightheartedly. His people would have gotten the point and respected him for handling it well.

Wise leaders realize that people want beneficial feedback to help them increase their success, and they make the necessary effort to deliver essential criticism effectively.

Consultant, professional speaker and author Mark Holmes is president of Springfield-based Consultant Board Inc. and MarkHolmesGroup.com. He can be reached at mark@markholmesgroup.com.