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By Carolyn Cohen
Illustration: Carey Sookocheff
 NO MATTER WHICH SIDE YOU'RE ON, CRITICISM CAN BE GOOD. HERE'S A GUIDE TO USING IT EFFECTIVELY IN THE WORKPLACE
In today's office environment, most managers have difficulty giving criticism and most employees have difficulty receiving it. However, there is a way to give and receive criticism that makes it not only painless but also valuable. Before we get into how that is possible, it is important to know why managers need to give criticism and how employees can benefit.
The main objective of giving criticism is to improve the quality of work and strive to better achieve the goals of the organization. As employee performance improves, managers can spend more time on challenging tasks and be recognized for developing their employees' skills.
When managers offer criticism, employees generally respond by doing their job better. When people do things better, they feel pride in their accomplishments and, in turn, have higher self-esteem.
But criticism is not always well received. Sometimes the person on the receiving end denies there is a problem or blames others for the matter in question. Other times, people react badly to feedback because it reminds them of a childhood where criticism was given freely and praise was not. They interpret a manager's criticism as a personal insult rather than a reaction to poor performance. Most times, however, it is the delivery of the message that causes the misunderstanding and not the message itself.
To effectively deliver criticism, here are some points to keep in mind. Don't criticize an employee simply because you can. When criticism is excessive, it loses its meaning — the recipient stops listening and you could be labelled a difficult boss to please. Instead, ask yourself whether the matter at hand truly affects productivity and company goals. Even when an issue is considered important, you may choose to ignore it in favour of another issue whose effect has more significance.
The supervisor/manager should ensure that the employee receiving the criticism understands what is expected of him or her right from the beginning. There should be no confusion about the particular details of the task and its end result. One way to do this is to ask the employee to repeat what is being requested in his or her own words or to outline how he or she will tackle the assignment in the future. The manager should be available to answer questions at the time of the initial explanation and throughout the particular task. If the manager is not available and this becomes the reason for an employee's poor performance, then the manager is obliged to apologize and offer his or her assistance. Managers should also be aware that sometimes an employee's poor performance could be attributed to a manager's communication skills or lack of instruction rather than the employee's inability to follow direction.
Criticism and/or feedback should be given immediately following unacceptable performance or behaviour. Criticize the performance, not the individual. Effective criticism begins with a clear statement about the performance of an individual. For example: "Mike, the reports you are responsible for have been late" targets performance, unlike the statement "Mike, I don't think you're giving this job your best effort." Avoid passing judgment.
Also, be specific. For example, "Mike, the reports I'm referring to are the production report, the marketing report and the budget. They have each been submitted late for the past two months."
A statement of criticism should describe the effect a particular performance or behaviour has on others or the organization as a whole. For example, "Mike, when those reports are late, the executive committee is forced to make decisions about the direction of the company based on outdated information."
Discuss how the performance or behaviour can be changed. It is not enough to state what is wrong. If you truly wish to see improvement, you need to discuss with the employee what steps to take that will change the behaviour. Does the employee require additional training? Do you need to make temporary plans so that the employee can deal with a personal problem that's affecting performance? Does he or she require one-on-one coaching with someone who is proficient in the area in question? (This does not have to be you.) Ask the employee for his suggestions and offer your own. Remember, the solution may well be different for every employee.
Be sure to convey your certainty that the employee is capable of the required changes and determine whether the employee is also on board. If the employee isn't convinced, find out why and what might be done to make it better.
If the matter was important enough to criticize, it is important enough to follow up. When expressing criticism, agree on a plan that tracks the employee's progress. This will not only demonstrate your interest in the employee's performance but will also ensure the change actually takes place and is maintained over time. Perhaps there is still misunderstanding about what the end product should look like or a project still needs adjustment. The sooner you discover the obstacles and get things on track, the better.
You have done everything right but an employee denies he or she has done anything that deserves criticism. Your next step is to repeat your examples and ask the employee if he or she can admit there is a problem. If the employee acknowledges a problem but blames others, you as the manager may want to deal with it in the following manner: tell the employee you will look at the contribution of others at another time but for now it is important to admit we have control only over our own behaviour and must concentrate on what we can do differently to ensure a better outcome in the future.
If you are on the other side of the fence, it might be difficult to acknowledge that your performance needs work, but in the long run it can improve your work significantly.
Criticism is most effective when it is not seen as a personal attack. Of course, how criticism is received has a lot to do with what is said. However, it also depends on the recipient's willingness to view the remarks as potentially beneficial.
It may seem natural to offer reasons why something was not completed accurately or on time but it will often sound like an excuse or a means of not accepting responsibility. It is only appropriate to offer probable causes in certain situations where they can contribute positively to future performance. If not, express your appreciation for the feedback and move on. Don't forget to ask for clarification before tackling the task again.
Just because someone criticizes you doesn't mean they are right and you are wrong. The best thing you can do is consider the validity of the comments as objectively as possible. Who is the criticism coming from? Have you heard such criticism before? Acknowledging mistakes or faults does not negate your strengths. In fact, the ability to accept criticism and work hard to improve your performance is a strength in itself.
What if you think the criticism has no merit or is an error? It is possible that after considering the feedback, its source and past feedback, you don't think it is valid. Before you make a decision whether to change your behaviour or attempt to improve your performance, you need to ask what the consequences will be if you don't comply. Even if you decide to acknowledge the criticism, you can admit you are not convinced there is an issue.
In other words, there is nothing wrong with saying, "I don't really see this your way, but I am still willing to make the required changes," or "I'm not sure I can do exactly what you're asking, but here's what I would be willing to do."
One of the things that make giving and receiving criticism hard is that we often put the task off and hope it will improve on its own. But it won't. When managers avoid criticizing, they can get angry or resentful about the problem. When the words are finally offered, they can sound attacking and personal.
For this reason, managers need to give criticism quickly and do it right. Employees need to think of it as someone caring enough to invest time and effort in them.
Carolyn Cohen, CA, MSW, runs a training and human resources consulting practice in Toronto and is CAmagazine's Technical Editor for People management. She can be reached at c.cohen@sympatico.ca | 
