INSTANT MBA: Negative Feedback Is Painful But Rewarding

Today's advice comes from Karen May, vice president for people development at Google, via The New York Times:

"As a coach, I was often in the position of giving people feedback they hadn’t heard before, after I interviewed a bunch of people they work with. It was always difficult for me, too. Just at a human level, it’s difficult to tell somebody that something that isn’t working about them. But I came to find that people are incredibly grateful. If I’m not doing well and I don’t know it or I don’t know why or I can’t put my finger on what’s not working and no one will tell me, I won’t be able to fix it."

Telling someone they need to change their strategy at work isn't an easy task, but May says being honest with your employees pays off in the long run. In fact, telling someone who works for you the truth about their performance can actually benefit a corporation. Most importantly, as they learn from their mistakes employees are not only contributing to the overall growth of the company but to their personal growth as well.

"The moment that the information is being transferred is painful, but then I have the opportunity to change it. I’ve come to realize that one of the most valuable things I could do for somebody is tell them exactly what nobody else had told them before."

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