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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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