CRITICISM – if you do it, do it right!

Criticism is better than no feedback at all, but it is not necessarily always the first choice. Especially with employees who are still very insecure, you as leader should be leader cautious and only criticize them in exceptional cases.

If criticism cannot be avoided, convey everything to your employee in such a way that they respect you and are grateful for the feedback. The purpose of the conversation is to encourage the person being criticized to make specific changes to their behavior. It should initiate a change in thinking and awaken the will to change. Under no circumstances should the conversation be used to vent frustration or demonstrate power.

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Criticism is by no means just about intellectual understanding. Emotion is what counts. The conversation is conducted professionally and emotionally. It should therefore only take a few minutes.

Criticism is not a means of training or improving employee competence. It is a means of addressing commitment and attitude issues and serves only to get high-performing employees back on track when their commitment wanes.

Be aware that you responsibility a tremendous responsibility when criticizing. If you do it wrong, you can destroy the employee's self-confidence.

The following rules are helpful:

1. Criticism should not be given in writing or by telephone, and never in front of others.
2. Never question the person themselves. Always separate the person from their actions. Criticize what they have done, not who they are.
3. Always relate criticism to ONE specific behavior.
4. Don't criticize in the heat of the moment. But don't let too much time pass either. The issue must still be relevant. Therefore, don't collect negative observations in a list until your pent-up anger erupts in a big outburst.
5. Try not to allow justifications during the conversation. So never ask why a person did something. Otherwise, you are literally encouraging them to look for reasons and excuses.
6. Do not discuss the facts. These have been addressed often enough in previous conversations (for example, when redirecting).
7. Do not claim that your view of things is always correct, because it is subjective. Make this clear by expressing YOUR feelings ("I am disappointed and reject what you have done") and thus prevent a pointless discussion about right and wrong.
8. Give the person being criticized the opportunity to assess their own behavior. They should not lose face. In addition, everyone prefers to follow their own insights.
9. Never touch the other person while criticizing them. Otherwise, you would create an unconscious negative association with yourself.
10. After offering criticism, bring your conversation partner back to a positive place. Criticism "breaks down" the person being criticized, so don't leave without "puttingthemback together" again. This is the only way to ensure that the employee thinks about THEIR behavior and not YOURS.
11. Once the criticism is over, it's over. Never make the mistake of bringing it up again and again.

If a consistently conducted critical discussion does not result in a change in the employee's behavior, you should consider whether they are even open to your leadership. You then have two options: you can confront them and discuss further consequences (warning, transfer to another department, etc.), or you can document the situation and report it to your own supervisor.

Preparation is everything

Before a critical discussion, take the time to prepare thoroughly. This will ensure that you have considered various perspectives in advance and can confidently guide the discussion. To achieve this, a few considerations are necessary:

Ask yourself:

• Am I sure about the points of criticism?
• How do I know if misconduct has occurred?
• Do I know this firsthand?
• If not, is my source secure?

Then examine your motives: Do you generally like the person you want to criticize, or do you have it in for them? When was the last time you praised this employee?

Write down five to ten points in advance that you appreciate about the person. This will prevent you from simply letting off steam. What really annoys you? And what do you want to achieve with the critical discussion?

Write down key points and bring them with you to the meeting.

You may be thinking,"That's a lot of preparation." That's true. However, thorough preparation is necessary in order to conduct an effective critical discussion. In addition, most people criticize too much. Consistent preparation reduces this to an appropriate level. Only then can an employee accept your criticism.