12 Feedback Tips
In Radical Candor, Kim Scott says “In order to build a culture of Radically Candid guidance, YOU need to get, give, and encourage both praise and criticism.”
(Here’s a great story she tells about getting powerful feedback from none other than Cheryl Sandberg.)
I pulled out 12 of my favorite feedback tips Kim Scott gives for giving feedback to colleagues:
Give feedback immediately (guidance has a short half-life)
Say it in 2-3 minutes between meetings (and don’t save it for the performance review when it’s tied to an employee's livelihood)
Unspoken criticism explodes like a dirty bomb (you just get resentful if you don’t say anything)
Do it in person or at least one-on-one on Zoom, so you can see each other’s faces. Never on a reply-all email.
Prevent Triangulation: You’re not a diplomat. Shuttle diplomacy won’t work. (If an employee complains to you, ask them to try to work it out with the other person first. If not, offer a 3-way sit down.)
Praise publicly* and criticize privately* (remember that not everyone likes public praise, and sometimes you do need to call people in front of their teammates)
Corrections, factual observations, disagreements, and debates are different from criticism
Use Contrasting: “I don’t want you to think that ____, but I do want to___”
Adapt to the individual’s preferences (Use DiSC!)
Reinforce the habit in group learning (like with the Hot Seat exercise)
Don’t personalize (Say “that’s wrong” not “you’re wrong.”)
The phrase “Don’t take it personally” is worse than useless.
