Why Do Managers Hate Giving Feedback?

Most managers I’ve observed avoid giving negative performance feedback like the plague. How many times have you seen a team leader fail to give appropriate feedback in the face of poor performance?

I’ve seen it all too many times. In fact, here’s an example of one I saw recently. . . I’ll change the names to protect the guilty.
Jane was an employee in a major manufacturing plant. Jane and her supervisor Ellen had worked together for five years. Ellen began to notice a slippage in Jane’s productivity. But Ellen hesitated to discuss the reasons for the slippage with Jane.

Jane was having problems understanding a new procedure that had been implemented, and it was impacting her performance, although Jane thought she was doing fine. Three months went by and Jane’s productivity continued to suffer.

What was going on here? Ellen was avoiding the discussion, and nothing was getting solved. Ellen’s hesitation was only partially about that uncomfortable feeling one gets when talking about poor performance. In addition, Ellen did not have a clear process to follow in providing the feedback that Jane needed, so Ellen felt the contemplated conversation would be a personal attack on Jane. Ellen did not know how to stay objective and handle the situation effectively, so she hesitated.

That hesitation did not give Jane a chance to explore her difficulty with the new procedure, this situation led to months of low productivity for Jane and the group. In the end, Ellen was forced to take disciplinary action with Jane rather than the “corrective action” she would have been able to take earlier. In the end it worked out except that along the way productivity went down and both Jane’s and Ellen’s reputations were dented. But at least now, it was a win all the way around.

Do stories like this happen in your organization?

Some Perspectives

Performance feedback has three basic benefits:

• Structured regular updates on how well individuals are performing to standards. It’s an opportunity to both address potential concerns and praise excellent performance.
• Ongoing performance feedback leads to more accurate team member self-perceptions, clears up misunderstandings, and gives the team member a chance to ask questions.
• Ongoing performance feedback provides an information base for later management decisions on human resource issues such as pay, promotions, transfers, assignments, or termination.

Think about your organization. Here are two questions you need to ask:

1. How accurate and timely is the performance feedback?
2. Does it advance the goals of the organization?

With the proper skills, your team leaders will be able to provide performance feedback in a timely and quality manner. This professional environment will increase the number of positively motivated employees who create momentum and productivity in your organization.