MANY MANAGERS, despite their tenure in the management ranks, are uncomfortable providing feedback to employees. This is true not only when delivering constructive feedback meant to improve performance, but also when providing positive feedback.

Managers intuitively understand the “why” of providing timely feedback to employees, but lack the “how” when it comes to giving that feedback. The “how” varies, depending upon whether managers are coaching high-performing employees to achieve even better performance or helping lower-performing employees improve certain aspects of their performance. But one thing remains constant: feedback is necessary.

Time for high performers
To achieve success in the workplace, managers should spend 50 to 60 percent of their time with their high-performing employees. Although this may seem counterintuitive, research has repeatedly shown that the greatest results are achieved by employees and teams when managers’ efforts are focused on top performers.

Unfortunately, feedback to most top performers is usually expressed something like this: “Thanks. You’re doing a great job and I appreciate it.” While employees like to hear such comments, they don’t provide the employee with the knowledge of which aspects of their performance are great and should be continued. Instead, vague references to good performance cause confusion, and the good behaviors may not be repeated.

Additionally, when managers utilize feedback as a means to help top performers progress in their careers, it allows them the opportunity to provide constructive feedback that top performers benefit from hearing. And what better way to do that than for managers to share their past experiences?

No matter how great an employee’s performance is, managers’ past experiences allow them to provide valuable feedback on ways to improve. Keep in mind that employees do not progress when they only hear positive feedback.

In general, an effective way to provide feedback to top performers encompasses the following:

• Identify the performance to acknowledge or reward. Be as specific as possible, as this will help the employee to truly understand what he or she is doing well. Make sure the feedback is based on facts, not interpretations, judgments or attitudes.