How to criticise your employees (in a good way)?

No matter what management style you pick, you will always have to deal with misunderstandings and arguments. Sometimes your employees might not meet your expectations intentionally and on other occasions unintentionally. However, how should you deal with these kinds of individuals?

You could apply a sandwich method to solve this problem. It is based on starting and ending a conversation with positive information (the buns) and serving the problem/criticism in the middle (the ham).

Why should you use this method? Starting with a positive information might make it easier for your employees to switch from "the defence mode" into "the problem solving one". When you start a conversation with your employee, they might be stressed out by the situation and expecting the worst. Although an issue you want to discuss with them may not be a big deal from your perspective, it is important to remember that nobody likes to be criticised and that it is always a stressful situation. Thus, starting a conversation with positive information followed by a discussion regarding the main issue might make it more efficient.

Why should you end a conversation with positive information then? If you clarify at the end that i.e. this problem is solvable or that you believe in your team members being able to solve it efficiently, it allows them to process negative feedback faster and start working on this issue straight away.

Should you always use this method? Apart from the sandwich method there are plenty of other solutions which might be more suitable for you. You should definitely experiment and choose what suits your management style best. One of the best ways to do it would be through joining the OKE Club and discuss the problem-solving methods with our experienced entrepreneurs. Our community is respectful and compassionate allowing entrepreneurs from different walks of life to thrive in their areas of interest. Join us here: https://www.okeclub.com