Your direct subordinate did not deliver information on time to the client, again. You are responsible for his work, thus a negative light reflects on you. Do you know how to give this kind of employee a warning, which will be effective? The Smart Blogs website examined the content of feedback and published an article on this topic.
Does your one-to-one interview with an employee look like this?
You: "Are you aware you have a missed deadline today and it was not your first?"
He: "I know I am terribly sorry."
You (exasperated): "When this happens because of you, we all look stupid. What were you thinking?"
Maybe at first glance, you may think all is well. The situation was immediately followed by feedback indicating the misconduct. You then outlined the impact and you engaged the employee in conversation. So why does the same scenario repeat the next week?
Despite the fact that you have met all the steps of providing feedback you learned in trainings; the effectiveness of your evaluation depends mainly on the intention behind the communication and the kind of words you use. Here are several types of feedback:
1. Feedback: "Watch your back." Leaders too often only provide feedback for creating an alibi rather than prevention. Please note the difference between using the interview with the employee only for ticking off the box "I spoke to him." and serving the purpose of helping the employee's ability to remedy similar situations.
2. Feedback: "I will get you." Even managers are humans. You feel different kinds of emotions that affect everyday situations. If you are experiencing stress, frustration or too much responsibility, you may transfer these emotions to the context of dealing with your employee. Your employee may be the target of your emotional transfer and he will feel it. Your intention is not to terrify your employees, right?
3. Feedback: "We stand together." Feedback is based on the principles of service, support and partnership. It is based on the belief that people want to do the best for themselves and for their organization. Feedback assumes that people are able to learn, continue to grow and improve their performance.
As you can see, the idea of feedback itself is correct, but the intention you communicate varies. Try to make your communication motivating, practice saying something like this:
"You are valuable to us."
"I care about your success."
"I am watching out for you."
The feedback must have a feeling of support, or the erring employee can not continue to develop. Choose your words with care and pay attention to the intentions communicated.
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