Providing employees with meaningful feedback will help them improve their performance. Yet fewer than half of employers use feedback effectively, according to a New York University poll.

What prevents supervisors from providing the right feedback? Lack of perspective, assertion, personal involvement, and understanding, according to senior consultant Jamie Higgins of the Monitor Company and Diana Smith of Monitor University.

They offer this advice to ensure your staffers receive targeted guidance:

1. Keep Perspective. Every story has two sides, so your point of view is also limited. Use feedback as an opportunity to foster dialogue, not a monologue.
2. Be Assertive. Don’t back down when a worker resists your feedback. Stay firm and focused; remember that wishy-washy comments aren’t helpful. Instead, foster learning by asking what types of problems he or she has faced. Then, offer suggestions.
3. Get Involved. Sub-par productivity has multiple causes. Make sure you’re not impeding your employees’ work. Ask focused questions like: “What could I do to help you complete this task on time?”
4. Show Understanding. Mistakes happen, but covering them up doesn’t help. Find out what led to the mistake, and then ask the employee to identify steps to avoid that mistake in the future. Your feedback will provide real learning and development.

Filed under: Management Minute