Giving Negative Feedback To Your C-Suite

Speak powerfully without damaging relationships

As a human resources leader, one of the greatest challenges in your career may be offering negative feedback to those in the C-suite. Whether it's disagreeing with the CEO, offering dissent to a popular team objective or even pointing out the negative impact of an action, the challenge becomes even greater when you factor in the need to maintain a positive relationship with those on the receiving end of your feedback.
 

The ability to give feedback while maintaining credibility and trust is critical for your leadership success. To master this skill, you must have a genuine intention to be respectful, a positive frame for your message and be able to employ direct, clear, nonjudgmental language. (You also have to be credible in terms of your knowledge and expertise.) Finally, it's powerful to ask if they want to hear what you have to say.

It's important to take the time to prepare for such a conversation. For example, what exactly is the conversation you need to have? What internal dialogue and negative emotions might lead you to take ineffective action and damage your relationship with the person? How will you manage that dialogue and negative emotions? It is important to role play with a trusted person.

Then, identify your positive intention and ask whether or not they want to hear your perspective. It might look something like this:

1. "I wouldn’t be doing my job as your (consultant, coach, service provider, team member,
employee, boss, friend) if I didn’t…

• …point out some possible downsides I can see."
• …challenge you on that point."
• …provide another perspective to consider."

"Do you want to hear it?"

2. "I want to be as helpful as possible and the way I think I can be most helpful right now
would be to explain…"

• …how your agreement works."
• …the company's policy on this."
• …my understanding of the government's regulations."

"Is that OK?"

3. "I want to be helpful but I am not sure what the issue is. Is it OK if I ask you some questions to clarify what has happened and what you need?"

4. "I wouldn’t be doing my job as your manager who is interested in supporting your career
success if I didn’t give you some feedback about…

• …what you said in the meeting."
• …the decision you made about…."
• …the complaint I got about…"

"Do you have time now? If not, when?

5. "I'd like to have a conversation about how…"

• …we can improve customer service.:
• …we can improve productivity/quality."
• …decrease cost."
• …have a great relationship with other departments."
• …you can enhance your effectiveness."

"Do you have a few minutes?"

I want to emphasize that you cannot control how another person will hear and react to what you say. You have the opportunity to control only what you say and how you say it. Ultimately, each person you speak to determines how they respond regardless of how positive and respectful you are. If they are committed to reacting with outrage, anger, or hurt feelings, they will do so even if you are perfect in your delivery.

The reason I believe that such communication tools are important is that sometimes the hardest-driving, most committed, most under-appreciated people in an organization get tripped up because of the way they express themselves to others, especially when it comes to negative feedback. Instead of being lauded for their honesty and their relentless work ethic, they are called bullies or other unflattering names.

The purpose of the feedback suggestions provided here is to give you the communication tools that will help you keep driving for success – while also covering your butt. Your continuing success may depend on changing the perception of your leadership and communication style so that you can speak powerfully without damaging relationships.

Author Bio

Jordan Goldrich helps leaders end dysfunction so their teams can do great things. He is a speaker, Chief Operations Officer and Master Corporate Executive Coach (MCEC) who partners with senior executives to drive results while developing their organizations, teams and the next generation of leaders. He specializes in helping valuable executives who are experienced as abrasive to increase their effectiveness while changing their impact. Jordan is a partner in CUSTOMatrix as well as Senior Executive Coach with the Center for Creative Leadership. He is co-author of the new book, Workplace Warrior: People Skills for the No BS Executive.  Visit www.jordangoldrich.com Connect Jordan Goldrich Follow @jordangoldrich