Criticism is necessary. We need feedback on the work we are doing.
But what happens when the majority of feedback is negative? Emotional intelligence expert Daniel Goleman says, it “shuts us down, puts us on the defensive, and narrows our possibilities to rescue operations.”
If you lean on negative feedback as a leader, know you will very quickly get diminishing returns on that investment.
There is a rule-of-thumb stating you should “sandwich” every negative feedback with two positive statements, but most see through this easily. Instead, look for opportunities to acknowledge and reward good work. This does two things.
- It encourages the person who receives the acknowledgment/reward. They are likely to be motivated do more of that good work.
- It serves as an example to teammates. They see what is considered good work and may emulate that success.
You will need to give negative feedback at times, but if that’s all the feedback you give then–as Goleman says–you’re narrowing the possibilities.