It’s Time to Take the 'Feedback Sandwich' Off the Management Menu

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you’ve given feedback lately, chances are you served up a praise sandwich: a slab of criticism tucked inside two slices of compliments. And while this form of feedback remains popular among managers, it’s hardly ever satisfying. 

It important to remember that a common management practice doesn’t mean it’s a best practice. The Gallup Management Journal reveals that only 1 in 10 are good managers. This means that many managers are still using common practices like the Praise Sandwich that don’t engage employees to consistently meet performance expectations.

Reasons A Praise Sandwich Will Give Everyone Indigestion

• Praise sandwiches come across as insincere and make feedback less reliable.

• It unsettles employees, who immediately brace for bad news once they detect an over-sweetened opening.

• It's a crutch for the feedback giver who fears upsetting the receiver.

• It’s confusing for the receiver to be praised, criticized, and praised. Think pat on the back, slap in the face, pat on the back. “What just happened?” is the reaction.

•  If there's something important enough to engage in a conversation on changing or eliminating a behavior, why do you want to water it down?

• If someone reacts negatively to well-developed behavioral input, you’ve got a bigger problem that a praise sandwich won’t fix.

• People tend to remember the first things and last things they hear. Therefore, most important part of the feedback – the message in the middle –ends up getting diluted or ignored entirely.

And then there’s this one: “I want to let people know they are appreciated and doing a good job."

 

”That’s great! Just don’t feel compelled to give the praise in the same conversation you're discussing changing a particular behavior.

If a leader isn’t comfortable and competent at designing and conducting a well-developed behavioral feedback discussion, they need to focus on their personal development and give up their life as a caterer of praise sandwiches. And if individuals on your team aren’t comfortable receiving both positive and constructive feedback, you need to work on strengthening your feedback culture.

Positive Feedback is Essential—Don't Water It Down!

I’m a big fan of positive feedback if it is Behavioral, tied to Impact or performance, and specific enough so that the individual understands what they did that was positive and can do more of it.

Why do you need to include positive praise when offering input on behavior(s) that need to change to improve performance and results?

You don’t.

Give ample positive feedback when it is earned.

I encourage managers to strive for a 3:1 or greater positive to constructive feedback ratio. That’s hard to do. (Keep a daily log of your positive: constructive feedback ratio. You might be surprised that you need to work to get this heading in the right direction.)

If you’re giving positive feedback and everyone is on the same page about the importance of feedback in the working environment, don’t feel compelled to blend praise and constructive input in the same discussion.

The Bottom-Line

The Praise Sandwich is a crutch for poor feedback practices. If you are working hard to deliver timely, behavioral, specific, impact-focused feedback, and if your team members know that feedback is part of a healthy working environment, you don’t need to blur praise and constructive criticism. 

I encourage you to take the Praise Sandwich off your management menu. 

Click here to read a related post. Catch People Doing Something Right. (The Power of Praise) 5 min read.

To your greater success and fulfillment,

Peter Mclees, Leadership Coach, Trainer and Performance Consultant
SMART DEVELOPMENT

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