The Effective Manager, 2nd Edition

9How to Start Delivering Feedback

Starting to deliver feedback follows naturally after you've rolled out One on Ones (O3s). Warning order, though: if for some reason you've jumped right to this feedback section of the book, and you haven't rolled out O3s yet, you could be in for a very rocky road. We encourage you to go back and seriously consider starting to do Manager Tools One on Ones (MTO3s). Bosses who are trusted have much better success delivering feedback, and MTO3s are the best way we've tested to achieve a trusting relationship.

We don't recommend you start using the Manager Tools Feedback Model until you have done 12 weeks of O3s. Then you can start the process of delivering your performance communications using the Manager Tools Feedback Model.

Rolling out feedback is a really simple process. But please remember, the best guidance we can give you about changes you make to how you manage your team members is to never introduce a change to how you manage your directs without first introducing that change before you make it. If you start thinking you can just jump right into new things, and your directs aren't ready, they'll resist your efforts.

Reflect again on the Middleman Test. Suppose your boss started coming up to you and saying, without context, “Can I give you some feedback?” You'd wonder what was going on, right? You might wonder whether you were the only one she was talking to this way.

We'd also bet you would naturally assume it was going to be negative ...