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How To Criticize An Employee Effectively

By Dennis Sommer (www.dennissommer.com)


Any time you criticize an employee, you're flirting with danger. If you do it right, both you and the employee will learn from the experience and there will be no bad feelings. If you do it wrong, the employee may sulk for weeks, and your long-term working relationship could suffer. When you need to criticize an employee, follow these leadership steps.

Choose the time and place carefully.
Don't cut into an employee's important time. Make sure there are no deadlines looming and don't ask the person to stay after work or come in early. Also, never carry on the conversation, or even start it, when other people are around. Find a private place where you know you won't be interrupted.

Start the conversation carefully.

The way you open the conversation will set the tone for the entire discussion. Remember, you want to give constructive criticism. You're not trying to blame the employee for anything, so stick with neutral statements such as, "I am concerned about the year end report and let me explain why?

Be as specific as you can.

If you start trying to criticize an employee without having your own thoughts in order, you lose credibility. Take a few minutes to go over what you want to say, and make sure you have several examples of what you are talking about.

Allow for two-way communication.
The best criticism is a two-way conversation. By remaining open and letting the employee talk, you may find that he or she has problems that need to be worked out, or that more resources or training is needed.

Deal with the past, but focus on the future.

Once you offer your criticism, move on immediately. Talk about the future, talk about the changes you would like to see. Make sure the employee knows the reason for the meeting was not to assign blame for the past, but to make sure things work more smoothly in the future.


About The Author - Dennis Sommer


Dennis Sommer is the founder and CEO of Executive Business Advisers, a management consulting firm specializing in business growth, sales and profit improvement. www.executivebusinessadvisers.com

Dennis helps companies increase sales revenue, reduce sales and marketing costs, improve marketing ROI, and drive new business growth by improving and optimizing their sales, marketing, company strategy and financial health.

Dennis is a highly sought after business keynote and seminar speaker www.dennissommer.com and author of several highly popular sales, marketing, leadership and professional development international articles and books www.advisersecrets.com .

Contact Dennis at 800-627-6512.




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