Avoid "you always" and "you never," anything about personality or attitude, "you should have known," the compliment sandwich, "some people have said," "no offense, but," comparisons with coworkers, and feedback with no example. Each one makes the person defend themselves instead of hearing you. Replace them with what happened, why it matters, and what to do next time.
Eight things to leave out
- "You always / you never." Nobody always does anything. The person will find the exception and stop listening.
- Personality words. "Careless," "not a team player," "lazy." Describe the work, not the character.
- "You should have known." Maybe. It does not help now.
- The compliment sandwich. Praise, criticism, praise. People learn to brace at the first compliment, and the real point gets lost.
- "Some people have said." Anonymous feedback cannot be checked or answered. Own it or leave it.
- "No offense, but." Announces the offense.
- Comparisons. "Dana would have finished this by now." Now it is about Dana.
- No example. "Communication needs work." Which message, to whom, and what was wrong with it?
What to say instead
Three sentences. What: "The client report went out with last quarter's numbers on page two." Why: "The client made a call on wrong figures and we had to correct it." Do: "Before the next one, check every number against the source sheet." Ten seconds to say. Nothing to defend against, because it is all true and all about the work.
Where M-Tracker fits
M-Tracker's reviews are built on the three sentences. When work is sent, it is compared with the task's brief and the person gets one plain paragraph: what works, what is missing, what to change. No personality, no comparisons, no sandwich. The person sees it first and fixes it, so the manager's feedback can be short and specific too.
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Questions people ask
Is it ever right to mention attitude?
When it shows up in the work. "Three deadlines moved without a heads-up" is about behavior you can see. "Bad attitude" is not.
Should feedback ever be public?
Praise, yes, if the person likes it. Correction, never.
What if the person gets defensive anyway?
Stay on the work. Repeat the what and the do. Defensiveness fades when there is nothing to defend.
Work you can trust, without redoing it.
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