5 Mistakes Managers Make When Giving Negative Feedback

Confronting direct reports about performance issues can feel overwhelming, especially for first-time managers, who may worry that sharing critical feedback could damage their relationship with the employee. But performance conversations, especially where you need to give critical feedback, don’t have to be scary. There are a few common mistakes to avoid when giving critical feedback. One of the biggest mistakes is avoiding the conversation or waiting too long to have it. Many new managers also fail to properly prepare before their performance discussions. If there are tasks, projects, or skills at which your employee is falling short, you should also be able to give them a clear explanation of why or where they haven’t met your expectations. Some also end up making the issue about the person instead of focusing on the work itself. Being a great people manager is not about being a friend or being liked by everyone all the time — it’s about being a manager who cares about their employees and helps them get their job done.

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  Steve Vamos has over 40 years’ experience in the tech industry in the USA, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. A former CEO of Xero, Steve has been an executive leader with Microsoft, Apple, ninemsn and IBM. Steve is the author os the book Through Shifts and Shocks: Lessons from the Front Line of Technology and Change (November 2024).
  

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