|
APRIL
2001
Engineering
Trends
 Navigating
Office Politics
Tip #1: Give Feedback Tactfully
by Todd
Yuzuriha
Office politics. We all
have to face it in our working lives. Wading through the morass of bruised
egos, hurt feelings, backstabbing or worse adds a negative dimension to
our jobs at some time or another. To offset these negative realities, the
balancing act comes as we foster positive, long-term working relationships,
which, in turn, foster consistent job effectiveness and overall workplace satisfaction.
Getting and Giving
Feedback — It’s Critical and Must Be Done Right
The key to giving — even getting —
feedback
and making it useful is knowing how to give it and receive it tactfully. Always
remember that when you take the initiative to give feedback to a
colleague, you must do so carefully.
Focus on the Situation,
Not the Personalities
You’ve decided to take
the step to offer feedback to a colleague concerning a situation that has affected
your work. Meet with the other person personally and briefly describe the
situation from your viewpoint. Focus on describing the situation
objectively and explain why it is hindering your performance. Try to limit
the description of the problem and the feedback you are giving to a minute
or less. Don't get involved with describing or criticizing personalities;
the idea is to initiate dialogue.
Seek to Understand Other
Viewpoints
Next, seek to understand
your colleague’s viewpoint. His or her perspective may be very different
from yours. There may be extenuating circumstances guiding your
colleague's actions.
You may have to adjust your own view of the situation, or better yet,
find ways to help your colleague contend with those extenuating issues.
Agree on Specific
Follow-Up and Be Prepared to Compromise
Finally, agree to
specific follow-up steps. Such agreement is critical for building sound
relationships, especially as you give feedback or solve problems. The
follow-up steps will give everyone involved a sense of accomplishment from
the meeting and will set the direction for action or resolution.
Don't pretend that
every situation can be resolved the way you might want it to be. By
being tactful and calm when you present your viewpoint, you will help
foster stronger working relationships, and you'll also have a great opportunity to
initiate positive change. In the end, you'll have taken a giant step in the right direction.
Todd Yuzuriha is the author of
How
to Succeed as an Engineer: A Practical Guide to Enhance Your Career. For more
information, go to www.engineeringsuccess.com |
