How to Give Feedback to Your Boss
Bosses and employees have to work together. One of the most important relationships in a business is between a boss and an employee. As an entrepreneur, people need to know how to give feedback to their bosses. Business people can learn from Alexander Djerassi, a successful entrepreneur and author of “The Execution Quotient: Achieving The Right Results In The Right Way.” Here are three tips that he offers on how to give feedback to your boss.
Use Persuasive Language
The first point that entrepreneur Djerassi offered was “Use persuasive language.” According to an article on Entrepreneur, “Many bosses favor one personality type over another, explains Djerassi. Recalling a decade’s worth of experience as a chief scientific officer and chairman at two pharmaceutical startups, he recalls how different approaches could result in being labeled as either brilliant or difficult.” Therefore, people need to find the right balance with their knowledge of their boss. They should be careful not to disrespect their boss because doing so could get them fired. People will understand this when they listen to Djerassi’s discussion on how the correct use of language is important to give effective feedback to one’s boss. He suggested using phrases such as: “I am angry because . . . . Another phrase he mentioned was: “This idea has merit, but it needs some refinement.” The types of words used in the above phrasings are succinct and understandable. They are not full of profanity which could cause your boss to lose interest in practicing negotiation from a position of positivity.
Few Complaints Beat Direct Criticism
Next, Djerassi stated that an effective way to get your point across is by making complaints, according to Djerassi. Consider all three scenarios that he mentions regarding complaints first through third, and only conduct constructive criticism once all comments are met. Consider first that if you avoid criticizing and only make suggestions, people may find that you are full of nothingness and essentially not be opinionated. Secondly, the more complaints you drop on your boss, the more people will focus on your complaint and less on constructive criticism. The feedback should always give your bosses something worthwhile but should not be overly specific or vague.
Stay on the positive side of the same-old-same-old
Alexander Djerassi’s next useful tip was to stay on the positive side of the same-old-same-old. He seems to do this with effectiveness. Djerassi encourages employees to try not to read into what he says and make sure both sides can communicate without agitation between them. Whether you have received constructive criticism or been given nothing by your boss, give the truth and make sure both people know about the situation to be rectified properly.
In conclusion, Djerassi’s idea that people should not attack their bosses with accusations or complaints but should take criticisms constructively or in the right manner could be helpful for both leaders and employees. A boss who cannot handle controversy will likely leave once again because they will be spending most of their time dealing with poor teammates and not making any progress towards any goals, they might have set out to accomplish since their workers will most likely not understand any strategies.