I just finished a long season of my daughter playing club volleyball. Unfortunately, the team did not have a successful record for the season. As I watched her team play, I realized that many of the girls were very talented, but just did not play well together.
As I sat on the sidelines, I noticed that players would get pulled from the game and not get the chance to play again that day. When the girls were pulled, the coach would not explain why. Afterwards, I asked some of the players if they knew why they were pulled, but they were as lost as I was. Apparently, it was because they did not perform at the level the coach wanted. However, the girls did not get this feedback from their coach, so they often wondered what they did wrong. The teammates were not given the chance to improve their game without this necessary constructive feedback.
I often see the same thing happen in the workplace – employees don’t perform at the level they should be at, but supervisors fail to communicate what they need to do to reach expectations. These employees could be passed up for promotions, ignored by their supervisor, or even fired, again without being given the chance to improve.
A new interactive online survey conducted by Harris Poll surveyed 2,058 U.S. adults — 1,120 of them were employed and 616 of the employed people were managers — and showed that a stunning majority (69%) of the managers said that they’re often uncomfortable communicating with employees. Over a third (37%) of the managers said that they’re uncomfortable having to give direct feedback about their employees’ performance if they think the employee might respond negatively.
So why are so many managers afraid to give feedback? More than likely, it is because they do not know how. Here are some simple tips to keep in mind when getting over the fear of communicating with employees:
· Realize you are trying to improve performance, not tear down an employee. If you keep this in mind, your feedback will be constructive instead of demoralizing.
· Don’t avoid it. If you do not immediately discuss an issue with an employee, it will likely get worse. Realize that most people want to do a good job, they just need to know what is considered a good job and how to do it.
· Communicate often. If you communicate often, it is more likely that you will establish an open rapport. The more you communicate, the easier it will get.
· Be specific in your feedback. Don’t just say things like “you made a mistake” or “you did great today.” What did they make a mistake on? What was the effect of that mistake? What was it that they did great today? The more specific, the better.
· Listen to the employee. Respond using I-statements to express your views.
· Communicate face to face. Some communication is better discussed face to face in a one-on-one setting. Don’t be that manager who sends an email for all communication. Often, things get lost in translation over email.
· Don’t assume they know what you are thinking or feeling. You know what you are thinking, but you need to be clear in explaining those thoughts and feelings to others. Repeat and restate things in different ways so others can clearly understand.
· Don’t communicate with anger. If angry, take some time to cool down before you say anything. If the conversation becomes heated and you feel yourself getting upset, count to three in your head before saying anything else.
· Watch your tone and body language. Your words can say one thing, but your tone and body language may say something else. Practice what you are going to say in front of a mirror or with someone you trust to tell you how you come across.
· Don’t take things personally. Majority of the time, what others say and do has nothing to do with you. Also, if they state an opinion that you don’t agree with, remember that an opinion is not a fact, only what someone thinks.
Communication is the most important part of a supervisor’s job. You must overcome your fears if you want to be a successful and effective supervisor, and these tips will help you to do just that.