Modern Business Magazine March 2016 | Page 26

MODERN MANAGEMENT The better you are at giving critical feedback, the faster and deeper your people will develop By Anneli Blundell G reat leaders give critical feedback. They tell it like it is. They are heard. They inspire action. Leaders, who give targeted, real-time feedback— both good and bad—support and challenge their people to develop. Giving critical or corrective feedback can invite negative 26 ModernBusiness March 2016 reactions: denial, hurt, blame, and anger are possible responses. Most of us are not eager to upset others, which makes it easy to justify delayed responses or missed feedback opportunities. However, avoiding the tough stuff can have major consequences. Leaders must make the effort. They must confront their own comfort and confidence levels when faced with having hard conversations. Withholding critical feedback is like asking someone to complete a crossword without providing all the clues. It’s simply not possible. Sue (not her real name) worked as a Community Support