When I was an associate at a law firm, I was in a colleague’s office when a partner walked in, clearly annoyed. He threw a letter on the desk in front of my colleague, a junior associate, and asked, “What’s wrong with this?” in an irritated tone. The junior associate stared blankly at the document, trying to figure out what could possibly be wrong. Had he left out some important information? Was it addressed to the wrong person? Was the caption wrong? The font? Embarrassed, he stared wide-eyed at the document for a moment, when the partner suddenly leaned over the desk and jabbed at the second paragraph. “It should be ‘will not,’ not ‘will.’ Fix it.” The partner walked out. Needless to say, it was not a textbook case of an effective professional development moment. For those of you thinking, “Yeah, but I bet that associate will proof his documents more carefully in the future,” you miss the point. It’s not whether the person got the message about the accuracy of his work. It’s about how he got the message, and the ancillary message that came with it.
Giving feedback to junior colleagues is an essential part of being a more seasoned professional. Every time we convey to someone how he has performed on a task, we have not only an opportunity to develop that person professionally, but to build a relationship that says: “My job as a more experienced person is to help you grow and become a better professional.” The tone of the conversation conveys that point. If the feedback is delivered with a tone that says: “My job is to wield my authority, which allows me to belittle you,” the senior person has done more harm than good.
When the economy is doing well and professionals leave their jobs for other opportunities, they often list a lack of feedback on their work as one of their reasons for changing jobs. When the economy isn’t doing well and employees tend to stay with their firms, they list a desire for effective feedback as a top concern, since they become more focused on how to make themselves more valuable as professionals. When my firm conducted a survey years ago on the communication skills that professionals found most valuable in a leader, the ability to convey clear feedback to others ranked well ahead of delivering presentations, running a meeting, and writing well.
If we don’t receive feedback at work, we feel we aren’t valued, that those around us do not care about our professional development, and that the company itself is not a place where quality professionals are developed. If we receive feedback that is poorly delivered, it can come across as a personal attack, motivated more by uncontrolled frustration than by a sincere desire to improve the recipient’s performance. When feedback is conveyed clearly and effectively, it encourages people to develop their talents and use all of their energy at work to perform more effectively.
Top-quality, helpful feedback is delivered in a consistent manner, with clear expectations on both sides about the purpose of the conversation. The first expectation should be that feedback will be given every time someone completes an assignment. We are all busy. It is unrealistic to think that every time a junior person completes an assignment you will have time to sit down with him immediately to review the document he prepared or to talk to him about his participation in a meeting. However, when you return a document to a junior person marked up with your comments, the conversation should sound something like this:
“Here are the documents you handed me and the final version I sent to the client. I can’t go over this with you right now, but let’s schedule some time to review what you drafted. Don’t panic when you see the changes. When we meet, I will show you what changes are stylistic and what changes are substantive. Let’s schedule some time for later in the week.”
Then, schedule some time with him for the next few days, even if only 15 minutes. You can’t expect someone to perform better if you don’t show him what “better” means.
When you do have a chance to review the work with the person, consider following these steps.
“I’d like to go over with you the memo you prepared on the Acme matter.”
“Is now a good time?”
The answer will probably be “yes,” but you don’t want to take time giving someone feedback if he is focused on meeting an imminent deadline. If the associate can’t meet at that time, he doesn’t get off the hook. Ask:
“When would be a good time later today? I think it will take 10 minutes.”
Let’s assume the associate is available to meet with you. Start by giving the big picture:
“Overall, I think you did a great job. I just have some comments on a few specific issues.”
Or
“The document really missed the mark, and I want to find out whether I didn’t explain the issue well or where the disconnect occurred.”
Or
“You did a great job explaining the issue, but I didn’t quite follow how you connected it to the facts in front of us.”
You want to make sure the person has a context for how he is going to hear the rest of your feedback. He needs to know up-front whether his work was a 90 percent success or a complete disaster. He also needs to know that your job is to develop him. Once you begin going into the details, you may need to say the words:
“My job is to make sure you are gaining these skills. That’s why we are going to go over this. I want to make sure the next time you hand something to a senior person, it’s exactly what she is looking for.”
Let the person know what worked well and what did not. We often just point out the negative. If we mention positive elements as well, it is often in a passing, perfunctory way: “Overall, I think you did a fine job.” While a general comment about performance may help you break the ice before delivering the real news, it doesn’t usually add any value to the other individual. Instead, comment on specific things that the person did well. Let the associate know that the structure of the document was a positive element, that the word choice in a few instances was effective, or that the clarity of the message was strong.
Then, of course, let her know how she could improve, using specific examples in her document. If the feedback addresses how a person performed in a client meeting or on a conference call with the client, give specific examples of what you are talking about:
“When you addressed the settlement options, you said the same thing three different ways.”
Then, quote to the person the language she used. The specific comments are much more helpful than saying: “You tend to be too repetitive.”
Your job is to help develop the person. Ask what steps you think she can take to improve her performance. Then offer advice. Obviously, the options will depend on the nature of the individual’s challenge. She may need to attend a writing course or a communication skills course. You may need to meet with her after the first draft of the next document to make sure she is on the right track. You may need to give her other samples of similar work products so that she has a guide.
It should be evident at the end of the meeting who needs to do what by when in order for the person to improve:
“So you will call the professional development office to see when they are offering the next writing program. I will look for additional samples for you to review.”
Most of the initiative should be left to the person who needs development.
At the end of the day, we are each responsible for our own professional development. You can’t make junior colleagues become better professionals. You can only give them the guidance they need with the tone that conveys your sense of commitment to them. If you give sound advice for development and convey that you are truly invested in their success, you have done a great job in conveying effective feedback. You’ve also delivered a strong message about yourself as a leader, mentor, and coach.
Another important aspect to feedback is our openness to receiving it. At Exec|Comm we teach skills more than content. Honing a skill requires practice, so participants in our programs spend more time engaged in small-group exercises. Understanding how well you are applying a particular skill requires receiving feedback from your peers in the room. While the participants give each other feedback, my fellow instructors and I circulate around the room, adding our own comments to the coaching the participants provide each other.
Occasionally, I will hear a participant who is receiving feedback become defensive or argumentative, or simply come up with excuses for why he or she is struggling with a particular skill. Invariably in those situations, the other participants stop giving that person feedback. It’s too hard and it’s not worth their effort. We, as instructors, continue to comment on the particular participant’s performance, but he or she loses out on the input from his or her peers. It’s a shame. When we stop receiving feedback at work, we stop growing.
Communicate to those around you that you are open to receiving feedback. Most importantly, you will gain insight into how you can improve. In addition, asking for feedback communicates to others that you are invested in improving yourself and helps to build healthy work relationships.