HBR 20-Minute Manager Boxed Set (10 Books) (HBR 20-Minute Manager Series)

Giving E ective Feedback

42

If, for example, you have an employee who is

regularly late to work, you may both agree that’s the

problem that needs to be solved. But the underlying

causes may not be evident. She may be late to work

because she’s having diffi culties at home, or she may

be unhappy about work and resisting coming into

the office. She may simply be unconcerned about her

precise arrival time, because she consistently gets her

work done in a timely manner. Digging down to the

root cause will allow you to analyze next steps that

can correct the behavior and help the recipient—and

the rest of the team—work more productively.

There is no easy script to follow for feedback dis-

cussions. Every conversation is different based on the

situation ...