How To Deliver Criticism Without Making It Worse

Telling a member of your team that an aspect of their performance is not up to scratch is never easy, but there are approaches you can take to ensure you get your message across without causing a rift in your working relationship, says Simon Creasey.

- Simon Creasey

You really don’t like the way that Mark speaks to the kids in his class. You also don’t like the way he speaks to fellow members of staff. He’s patronising and, at times, he is downright rude. But how do you tell Mark this? You may be his superior, but he’s got decades of experience and is set in his ways. You just know that he will kick up a stink and mentioning his failings might be more effort than it’s worth. You want a productive response, but how do you make sure that happens?

Delivering criticism is never easy. However, it’s vitally important as a leader that you bite the bullet and inform people of their shortcomings and where there is room for improvement. So, how do you do this without creating an even bigger problem?

1. Avoid the ‘fool’s choice’

Joseph Grenny, a co-author of Crucial Conversations, says the “fool’s choice” is when people assume that they can be either honest or respectful but not both. As a result, they tend not to act at all.

“They bottle up the concern,” says Grenny. But that concern about the individual then manifests in other ways. “They end up stewing, gossiping or getting even,” he says.

“Don’t make this mistake,” he urges. “Let go of either/or thinking.”

You can, he stresses, be both honest about a concern and express that with respect.

2. Find a private place