You know that, as a manager, you have to give your employees feedback in order for them to grow and develop into top performers. But, as a Houston staffing agency with lots of experience dealing with people, we know sometimes it can be an awkward prospect – particularly if it’s negative feedback you have to give. Sometimes it’s easier to avoid it altogether, rather than face the unpleasant situation head on. So to make your job of giving feedback a little less painful, we’ve put together a list of six common mistakes to avoid:

1. Waiting until the performance is well below expectations before speaking up.
2. Giving feedback only when things go wrong.
3. Giving negative feedback in front of co-workers.
4. Criticizing performance without offering recommendations for improvement.
5. Avoiding annual performance reviews.
6. Offering generic praise without specific examples.

Offering constructive criticism isn’t always easy. But when you give good feedback, you’ll only stand to benefit in the form of a solid team operating at peak efficiency. With that said, here are some tips to help you give good feedback:

Be proactive.
If you see a performance issue happening, act immediately. The longer you wait, the worse it will get.

Give specific examples.
No one likes to give (or get) negative feedback. But for it to be effective, you have to be clear and state specific examples. So instead of saying something like, “You’re a bad communicator,” consider saying, “I think a lot of the mistakes you make are a result of not asking enough questions at the beginning of each project.”

Make a plan.
Give your employees a plan of action to improve their performance. Be clear about your expectations and the time period within which you want to see a change. Also, be sure to follow up with them.

Offer praise too.
Let your employees know that they are valued. Tell them specifically how their hard work contributed to a happy customer or meeting an organizational goal.