Here's how you can deliver constructive feedback for employee growth as an executive.

It would be beneficial to observe how he performs tasks at work that require this skill. This will assist in providing more valuable feedback. For example, our training platform allows employees to demonstrate skills such as negotiation, sales, and teamwork through role-playing games that simulate real-life business challenges. This enables us to identify areas where employees may require additional effort to develop a skill.

Use the SBI Model (Situation-Behavior-Impact) Situation: Describe the context in which the behavior occurred. Behavior: Explain the specific behavior you observed. Impact: Discuss the impact of the behavior on the team, project, or organization.

While leading teams I have always sat new team members down and articulated to them why it's important that I understand where they are heading and what their goals are. I have high expectations as a leader and I've never mixed words about it. I communicate clearly that it's important to me that relationships are never perceived as being all take and no give, so I will ask employees to be really honest about what their goals are, even if it means they are heading somewhere that will pull them away from our team in the long run. Once I have clarity I work hard to help them reach those goals. Ultimately it's easier for my team to see the value in giving the effort I'm asking for as a leader, because there is a clear value exchange.

The feedback sandwich never tastes good. This is outdated and poor advice. Setting the tone to give critical feedback starts long before the need to give feedback begins. Transparency, honesty, and vulnerability as a leader is key to fostering an environment where direct feedback can be given to an employee. Critical feedback is never easy to hear, but unclear feedback mixed in with insincere compliments to help lessen the blow just creates muddy waters. Be kind, but direct.

The sandwich method doesn’t work, rather it confuses the person about what you’re trying to convey. However, providing a supportive and empathetic environment encourages two-way communication and open dialogue. Setting a tone of genuine concern rather than confrontation is the strategy I have used successfully in most instances. It coneys authenticity and a truly constructive approach. Start by mentioning a past success (a job well done) and then expressing your concern about the task that resulted in undesirable outcomes, with a future focus. No sandwich here.

I recommend that your feedback always be presented in a positive tone. Remember that feedback should be balanced, so always hit on the positives and the employee developmental needs. Take the approach that feedback isn't a negative, it is developmental and we all have areas we can develop. If your approach is too heavy handed, that will result in your employee shutting down and not engaging in a productive two-way dialogue so refrain from personal emotion. Always approach your feedback dialogue with kindness, think about how you want to be communicated to. If you find yourself irritated, refrain from sharing feedback in the moment. Your approach will make a difference in your relationship with your employee and your team's success!

While discussing the feedback: - Focus on the specific issue / action / task / behaviour; do not focus on the person. - Provide context and give examples; vagueness will only make the person more defensive. - Refrain from providing feedback on multiple issues at the same time. Also do not link one issue to another and create a spiral. This can be overwhelming. - Don’t jump at the first instance to provide feedback; most reasonable adults are able to identify and reflect upon their performance and auto-correct. - However, if the impact of their performance is huge, provide feedback in a timely manner. - Encourage open dialogue to understand their perspective, and allow self-reflection to enable ownership of strategies for improvement.

I recommend always taking the time to organize an outline of your feedback conversation in advance. Feedback should be always be constructive, and specific. Start by (1) identifying the key themes of feedback you want to cover with your employee. For example, themes may include time management, confidence in communication, improving in negotiation etc. Once you have identified your key themes of feedback, then (2) identify specific examples to back up each theme and (3) the impact so that you can share each theme with your employee and talk through each example.

I recommend that you wrap up your feedback conversation by offering your employee support. A simple "is there anything you need from me?" , "how can I help support you?", or "is there anything I could be doing differently to help you?" goes a long way!

I recommend dedicating time to have regular feedback conversations. This can be during a regularly scheduled 1:1 with your employees or other time you set aside. It's important to continue to provide feedback so that you and your employee stay aligned on their progress, be sure to articulate what is going well and what their continued development needs are. Ideally, successful leaders establish trust with their employees allowing an organic ongoing feedback conversation.

To empower employee growth, executives should plan feedback with specific strengths and areas for improvement, backed by examples. Start by acknowledging their contributions and then focus on specific actions or behaviour when addressing shortcomings. Active listening and a respectful tone are key. The goal is to co-create solutions and help them grow, not dwell on mistakes. Foster a growth mindset by offering ongoing support for their development. Finally, demonstrate a commitment to growth by seeking feedback yourself and openly discussing your own areas for improvement. This fosters a learning culture and unleashes employee potential.