Providing your boss with honest feedback is nerve-wracking.
You want to help them improve, but you fail when you know that they are your superior.
Plus, there are various stories of feedback that goes wrong.
Further, it is even harder to know how to handle such a situation.
Providing your boss with the critical feedback needs problem-solving abilities, communication skills, and situational awareness.
Let’s uncover the best strategies for providing your manager with effective feedback.
Why Should You Provide Upward Feedback?
One study found that 65% of the employees ask for feedback, and you need to know that the boss is also an employee.
Employee feedback brings more engagement and makes the company culture much better.
So, if you want to work in an engaging environment, don’t ignore that upward feedback.
But did you know what upward feedback is?
An employee reviews their boss’s performance, and can help managers improve better.
They can even learn what is working for their team, how their actions can be improved, and what changes can be beneficial in the future.
When you provide your boss with the feedback, you help them get a better understanding regarding how their leadership style looks from their employees’ perspective.
Mostly it happens that your boss feels like he is a flexible manager, but you feel like he doesn’t make enough time for everyone.
During that time, providing them with the feedback can help enhance your working relationship.
Upward reviews can help your boss with professional development because the direct reports will be different from the feedback from their managers and peers.
Gaining different types of feedback from different sources can provide your boss with a complete idea regarding how to improve.
When it comes to a 360 degree performance review, feedback comes from all directions – direct reports, managers, peers, and more.
But you don’t always need to wait for the performance review time to share feedback with your manager.
When and How to Give your Boss Feedback?
Take some time to analyze everything before saying anything.
Think about the best way to say it, and how your boss will take that feedback.
If you want to give negative feedback or what you are going to say is coming because of frustration, first you need to calm down to pinpoint why you are feeling that way.
If you are expecting positive results from your feedback conversation, you need to plan how you can share the reasonable criticism with your boss.
Choosing the right time and place is essential when giving feedback.
You don’t want your boss to feel embarrassed in front of others, so it is important to have a private discussion.
Places where you can’t give feedback to your boss
During an all-hands or team meeting
Giving feedback can sometimes become uncomfortable, but when you do it in front of your coworkers it is inconsiderate for your boss.
Even if the criticism comes to you, and you can’t say anything at the moment, it is not sure that your boss will really listen to you and take the information if you are embarrassing them in front of the entire company.
While the boss is explaining something fresh to you and your colleagues
You don’t know all the preparation made by your boss whenever they are looking to implement a new idea or a system.
Obviously, you don’t want to embarrass them by questioning in front of the entire team.
Even if it seems difficult to get started, you don’t know the work your boss must have done to create it.
When you are in a meeting with the clients.
It is better to show unity in such scenarios, because you follow the same goal, even if you are not sure how you are going to accomplish it.
Places where it is okay to give feedback to your boss
During one-on-one session
Among the main reasons to have one-on-one is to have open communication.
Companies with the strongest feedback cultures follow this session for feedback. It is for both managers and the employees.
During check-in session before or after a meeting
Giving feedback during meetings can be a bit awkward, but giving it before or after are good times to address what was wrong in the meeting.
You can even mention what you both were hoping to achieve going forward, and any feedback.
During a performance review
Performance reviews can provide people with an accurate look regarding how they are doing.
Your feedback is necessary to help your boss improve better than before.
Conclusion
Providing your boss with the feedback can be stressful, but it can give them valuable information, and it is beneficial for both.
They will become better at their job, and you can better address your needs as their direct report.
If you consider it well, you can avoid the embarrassing situation.
When delivered well, feedback can help you improve various things in the company.
Giving feedback is among the hardest skills to master.
