In some situations, you need to give feedback to your manager. But, for some people, it is heavy work to do. They may find it difficult to do this as they do not know how to give feedback to the manager and what the manager’s response can be.
When you made a mistake on a project, in a presentation, or in a report your manager must always be there to give you feedback. It is how you see your mistakes and go forward in your career. But, when your manager makes a mistake you do not know how to take a step and give feedback to your manager. We must remind you that your manager has things to learn from you.
Feedback is the main part of growth in workplaces. That is why we must be confident in giving feedback at work.
But, before looking into the 4 steps to give feedback to your manager, let’s learn what upward feedback is.
What is Upward Feedback?
This term is not known by many, that is why we want to explain it to you. Upward feedback is the one given by an employee to his/her manager or boss. Simply, it describes a situation where someone from lower seniority within the company provides feedback to someone with a higher rank.
In companies, where employees feel free to give upward feedback, the company culture is mostly positive, and these employees work more motivated than others. In a situation where employees do not feel comfortable providing feedback the employees are generally not happy and it affects company culture negatively. Also, research shows that these employees % are 16 percent less likely to stay in the company.
4 Steps to Give Feedback to Your Manager
You can get help from the following steps to give feedback to your manager. But, beforehand you must ask your manager whether they are available to receive feedback. This way you can prevent catching them off.
Let’s look into the 4 steps for giving feedback to your manager.
1. Practice giving feedback
To feel more comfortable delivering feedback to your manager, you can practice with family friends, or with your friends. In this way, you can get rid of your nerves and the most appropriate language.
You may consider using “I” language rather than attacking the other side often using “you”. By using “I” you make the impression that you present your point of view. So, they will not consider your feedback as blame.
2. Give space for a response
Many people regard delivering practice as a one-sided talk. But, for giving effective feedback you must let the other side express himself/herself. You should give them the chance to speak. In this way, you can also understand whether they have understood your point.
3. Put yourself in their shoes
You may still not be sure to give feedback to your manager. To be certain about it you can try to put yourself in their shoes. Ask yourself the two questions “How would I respond if the feedback would be given to me?”, and “Would I be furious or grateful?” The answers will help you to decide whether to give feedback.
4. Watch your tone and words
The way that you express yourself is very critical in delivering feedback. To not be misunderstood by your manager you must watch your tone and words. Here, you should act confidently but avoid being aggressive. Otherwise, feedback can lose its meaning and your manner can disturb your manager.
As words, you should use verbs more often than adjectives. For example, instead of saying “You are bossy and overcontrol the team.” You can say “Sometimes you interrupt others and do not leave space for them to give their opinions.”
