Constructive Criticism

09/16/2010

She who works with her hands is a laborer. She who works with her hands and her head is a craftsman. She who works with her hands and her head and her heart is an artist.
Francis of Assisi, 1181-1226

David Viscott was very influential in shaping my management philosophies. In his book Taking Care of Business (New York: William Morrow, 1985), he lays out a psychiatrist's approach to dealing with common challenges of leading an organization. For example, he provides this advice about giving feedback to an employee about unacceptable employee actions:

"View the problem as an entity in its own right. Talk about the problem with distance and encourage the other person to comment on it from the same perspective. The object is to acknowledge that a problem exists and establish a way of talking about it that produces results rather than increases conflict...

"Your job in offering correction is to help people look at themselves and take responsibility for their own improvement. Provide support and praise them when they improve...

"Make your point simply and directly. Make sure you both are talking about the same subject. Restate your opinion and be done with it. If you find yourself in the same situation over and over again with the same person, then you have to consider if the person is correctable. You should state this concern directly and see if doing so frees the other person to cooperate with you. If the situation cannot be corrected, you need to decide if it is in your best interest to have that person working for you."

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