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if they have suggestions for how you should handle the situation. In effect, you have asked for permission to criticize by your invitation to them to "discuss a problem" with you. |
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Tip 606: Criticize only one thing at a time. |
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People cannot recreate themselves, their jobs, their habits, and their processes by trying to do everything at once. None of us has the luxury of emptying out all the file cabinets or databases to start over, but we could clean out the inactive client files in a reasonable time. Let people focus on one improvement until they master that area. Then offer another goaland carrot. |
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Tip 607: Relate your criticism to some goal of theirs. |
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Try to point out how the observed behavior thwarts a mutually shared goal. People put more effort and emphasis on correcting things they can see have a positive benefit for them. And that benefit doesn't have to be intrinsic. To correct problem X doesn't have to make them healthier, happier, or sexier immediately and directly; the benefit of correcting the behavior may simply be to get a higher performance rating, which will result in a bigger raise later. The resulting raise may bring health or happinessdepending on how they spend it. The benefit in that case is an indirect one. |
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Tip 608: Criticize to some end. |
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The worst kind of criticism to take is that on which you can take no action. People can't change their height, their family, or their history. The criticism should end with some specific goal to move toward improvement. Criticism on unchangeable things frustrates and demoralizes people. At worst, they'll feel powerless, confused, and hopeless. At best, they'll simply shrug their shoulders at the silliness of expecting them to change the unchangeable and ignore the criticism altogether. |
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Tip 609: Describe the behavior change or action you want others to take as a result of your criticism. |
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If you tell employees you want them to deliver better customer service, what does that mean? Answer the telephone on the first ring rather than the third? Double-check the spelling of the customer's name on letters? Make home deliveries? Respond to service calls within two hours? Smile more often? |
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