Delivering honest, constructive feedback is an acquired skill which is crucial for managers to know. As a manager, you’ve to manage a set of people with different talents and perspectives and make sure that everyone’s goals align well with each other.
You have to build a path for their growth as well. And that can be done when you provide constructive feedback. We’ll highlight constructive feedback here, because it is not the same as positive feedback. But it’s a common misconception and people tend to be confused between both of them.
Hence, before we jump into constructive feedback examples, it is important to first understand what constructive feedback is and its significance in creating an excelling feedback culture.
What is Constructive Feedback?
Has it ever happened that your feedback left your employee feeling demotivated and discouraged? Perhaps it was vague, critical, or even downright hurtful. While you thought that it’s natural, let me tell you, it’s not! That’s where you’ve to learn constructive feedback.
It’s feedback that is designed to help individuals improve their skills, behaviors, and performance and in a timely manner. It’s not meant to be negative or punitive, but rather to provide guidance and support for growth and development.
One of the key things to remember is that it needs to be specific. A “good job” or “can be better” isn’t helpful.
It needs to be detailed and understandable on specific instances. For instance, rather than saying “you need to communicate better,” a manager might say “I noticed that during the meeting, you interrupted your colleagues frequently. Next time, try to actively listen. You’ll discover some interesting perspectives and opinions that’ll help you form your own.”
See the difference? Non-judgemental, and guiding ~ that’s how a proper constructive feedback looks like.
It is essential to know constructive feedback for managers. This helps in creating an overall positive environment for all employees and they know their manager is here to help them in their overall trajectory of growth – this also means whenever they make a mistake. Ultimately, employee retention for the win.
We know it can be difficult to have a grasp at this just with a constructive feedback definition. Hence, we’ve collected a few examples of constructive feedback you can use to understand the process better:
22 constructive feedback examples
1/ “I really appreciate your positive attitude and the way you always greet your coworkers in the morning. Keep up the great work!”
2/ “I noticed that during the meeting, you interrupted your colleagues frequently. Next time, try to actively listen. You’ll discover some interesting perspectives and opinions that’ll help you form your own.”
3/ “You did a great job completing the project ahead of schedule, but I noticed that there were some typos in the final report. Next time, take some extra time to review your work before submitting it, it can do wonders.”
4/ “The new project idea you suggested was great. However, it’d be better if you can also add in more specific details as to how it is going to benefit us to keep everyone on loop.”
5/ “I see you took up too many tasks at once. Don’t want you to feel burnt out. Next time, let’s work together to prioritize your tasks to keep things well-balanced.”
6/ “Your presentation was very informative, to make sure the audience is engaged, how about we add in some graphs, images, and charts. Retention is the key!”
7/ “It’s great that you love to take on new tasks and learn about them. But make sure that you ask coworkers for advice on how to complete these tasks easier and more efficiently. This will help you learn the complete process.”
8/ “Your customer service skills are excellent, but I noticed that you tend to speak too quickly. Speaking at a slower pace will improve your experience with the customer.”
9/ “Your work ethic is pretty inspiring, but I see you work beyond work hours, and neglect self-care. Let’s keep it as next month’s goal to establish a healthy work-life balance.”
10/ “I appreciate your honesty and transparency, but there is always a way with words we need to learn. We can pose the problem respectfully going further through this.”
11/ “I noticed that you tend to jump to conclusions without gathering all the necessary information. You’ve good problem-solving skills but let’s also make it a practice to ensure that you collate all possible information beforehand.”
12. “I noticed that you tend to work independently instead of working with your team. I know many people prefer this but teamwork is always for the win.. In the next few tasks, how about you collaborate and seek input from others, let me know where you need help.”
13/ “Love the article you wrote but I see the usage of complex words that might not be understandable to everyone. Make sure that you use simpler, less complex words in articles as they work the best”
Next stop: 20 Impactful and Motivating Employee Positive Feedback Examples
15/ “It’s always good to have the necessary leadership skills, but I noticed that you tend to micromanage your team members. Give the ownership and portray trust to your employees to complete the necessary tasks, and you’ll be able to better figure what your employees are capable of.”
16/ “I noticed some challenges between you and your teammates. Let’s sit and work this out together for the betterment of the team and the organization.”
17/ “The performance appraisal process is finally complete and you all can see your ratings. If any of you feel that there could’ve been a different result, reach out to me, and we can discuss it together.”
18/ “I found this mistake in the project for the 2nd time. I see it’s a minor one so it can slip out easily, but just letting you know so that you’re aware of these things going further.”
19/ “I know that the project plan had to change from what you suggested. Your idea was great as well, but I’d like it if we can take some time out to discuss what went wrong. This will help you avoid these loopholes going forward.”
20/ “We all are pretty dedicated towards our tasks, hence we often forget to engage with coworkers. Let’s make sure to take some time out in a week to interact with our team-members and learn from them.”
21/ “You’re now in a great position considering your latest promotion. Your learnings have got you here, so make sure that it doesn’t stop.”
22/ “I just wanted to check in with you regarding how things are going. Seems like we can have a general talk around how we can escalate further growth in your role. Let’s sit on a 1v1 and come to a solution.”
These are a few examples that will not only give you a gist of how constructive feedback for employees looks like, rather you can also use them while managing your own team. Managing a team is no piece of cake, it requires a tremendous amount of leadership skills, empathy, and coordination.
Following this pattern will definitely help you in creating a strong team motivated towards growth.
