As a leader in your insurance agency, one of the critical parts of the job is providing feedback to employees. The skills required to give quality feedback can be among the most challenging to develop. When it is delivered effectively, negative and positive feedback can help employees improve. However, done poorly, it can hurt future performance and progress towards goals.
Here are five quick tips to keep in mind when delivering feedback:
Don’t Postpone the Conversation: When it comes to having tough conversations with employees, don’t delay. It is crucial to provide feedback while you and the employee can both remember the details of the situation. Reaching out to the employee right away allows them to better connect the behavior with the conversation at hand.
Ask Questions: When it comes to performance or behavior issues in the workplace, perspective is critical. There are certain details you can assess before the conversation, but it’s also crucial that you gain the input of the employee receiving the feedback. Asking the right questions will help you do just that.
For instance, if an employee is falling behind in their work, take the opportunity to ask them what they see as roadblocks to completing their work on time. Doing this will help identify the root cause, whether it’s simply time management, confusion with the process, or other training issues that need to be addressed. When you take the time to ask questions, you initiate 2-way communication, which helps both you and the employee better identify where the issues are originating.
Link Performance to Goals: One great way to help employees understand why the feedback is being provided is to tie the performance issue back to goals. Be prepared to explain how their behavior has impacted their individual goals or those of the agency. Once they can see how their work impedes achieving particular objectives, you can open the conversation about what steps they can take to improve and get back on track.
Collaborate: It can be easy to take on the responsibility of a “fixer” when providing feedback to an employee. However, an employee will be less invested in following through when a solution is simply handed to them. Make the conversation a collaborative one. Work with your employee to think through possible solutions and develop an action plan to resolve the issues at hand.
Collaborating will encourage your employee to use and expand on problem-solving skills. Empowering employees to be the architect and owner of the solution will increase buy-in and ongoing performance improvement.
Develop a Feedback System: Feedback should be continuous. Leaving it at a one-time conversation will not generate the desired results. Ensure the employee knows you will be checking back to see how things are progressing and establish a timeline for the follow-up conversation.
Setting these expectations demonstrates to your employee that you trust them, and you are invested in their continued success.
Remember, feedback should not only be used when something goes wrong. Your employees want positive feedback, too! Making sure you take the time to provide good feedback on a job well done offers significant encouragement to employees!
Learning to give quality feedback takes time. With a little practice, the feedback conversation will get easier. Using the above tips will help you develop those skills needed to have constructive discussions with your employees, providing them with the information they need to continue learning, improving, and finding success.
