5 Tips to Mastering Mid-Year Feedback

As we ease ourselves from July’s simple pleasures of sparklers and sweet corn into the reality of rescheduled meetings and unruly inboxes let's chat about a critical todo that if often left off the list: delivering mid-year feedback. 

I had 5 powerful tips to keep in mind as you do (and, really, for just anytime you’re giving feedback, which should be be regularly).

It's the mid-point of the year, chances are it’s been a few months since you gave performance reviews and set goals with your team. 

And chances are, the members of your team are hungry to talk about their performance and growth plan because 65% of employees would like more feedback than they currently get*. 

Zooming out of the day to day hustle to thoughtfully share feedback oftens feels unproductive or intimidating but being too busy for regular feedback has consequences: 4 out of 10 employees are actively disengaged when they get little or no feedback*. Disengagement leads to poor performance, poor results and poor retention. AKA everyone loses. 

This mid-year milestone is the perfect time to slow down and reconnect with your team through feedback check-ins.

5 Coach Approach Leadership tips for sharing feedback:

1️⃣ You are growing people, not just employees. How you choose to connect with them when giving feedback matters

✨ As a leader, the feedback process is not a box to be checked on your list of todos. It is an ongoing responsibility and a privilege to give feedback and to do so in way that puts people in the right positions to excel in their careers. Ideas: Set expectations so they’re not nervous, honor the time (don’t reschedule), put your phone and laptops away, make eye contact and get really curious with them ✨

2️⃣ Don't use their assumed discomfort as your excuse to stay comfortable

✨ Too often we avoid hard or uncomfortable feedback because we tell ourselves, 'it’ll be too hard on them' or 'it’ll do more harm than good' etc. But, really, we are just projecting our fear onto them and then using that rationale to avoid taking action. You don’t know how they’ll respond. Have the courage to sit in the discomfort for the sake of their growth ✨

3️⃣ Don’t get so hung up on following a feedback process that you forget about the person

✨ We must bring the person back as the center of the feedback process. Don’t obsess about following any formal process, ensuring your team is getting meaningful feedback is most important ✨

4️⃣ Look to nurture a conversation where you're partners in their growth and goals

✨ Partnerships are equitable - both sides invested, contributing & working together toward a common goal. That is how feedback can feel. So don’t assume you need all the answers around their feedback either. The manager and employee can both fuel the discussion, come up with solutions & determine success - together ✨

5️⃣ Create space to let the feedback soak in

✨ It is unfair to expect ourselves or someone else to thoughtfully respond the same time feedback is shared. Instead, plan to schedule a follow-up so there is time to reflect, plan and prepare before coming back together to discuss what's next ✨

If it seems like your team is quiet quitting or their is performance dwindling, don’t judge, slow down and connect with them instead, keeping these tips in mind. We do not have to over complicate powerful leadership. We just have to remember that we are all human. Us humans just want to feel like we belong and that someone cares. Delivering thoughtful feedback to your team shows that you care about them and their careers.

Give it a shot ☕️ !

P.S. This is your sign to ask your manager for feedback too, you don't have to wait for them to start the conversation 🙋‍♀️

 Source: Research done by Workleap Officevibe