Management tip from my Dad - actually it was a parenting tip but sometimes the two are not so different - on giving feedback.

Mini thread.

He says - when your five year old comes to you with their sheet of paper and says 'Daddy how is my handwriting?' it's perfectly ok to look at the paper and say 'Child your handwriting needs work. The letters have to be of the same size and your Q's look like g's'

What is not ok to say is - Go away I don't have time for you.

There are at least two bits of wisdom in there. The first being that management is not a popularity contest

The second that you can say whatever you want to people, as long as they know that you have their best interests at heart.

They say that managerial feedback should be continuous, not contain surprises etc. This is all true.

But the real hard work lies in establishing this relationship - that you as a manager want what's best for the company *and* the individual. That you don't play zero sum games and can be trusted to align incentives such that everyone wins.

And the easiest way to do this is to push people to learn. If an individual can feel themselves grow while you manage them, there remains little doubt in their hearts where your interests lie.

And so your 'L and D' budget can become a very handy tool in your management toolbox because it can be used to establish the basis of a healthy managerial relationship - that of trust and caring.

After this, giving feedback is the easy part!

End of thread.