Negative Feedback & Holding People Accountable

CUBE for Conflict™ was created to boil down complex models of communication into one practical, easy-to-use method that helps leaders avoid the most common mistakes in challenging conversations.

The 5 Conversations

A manager has to effectively give feedback and hold their team members accountable to build a high-performing team. Many leaders struggle with giving negative feedback, especially to under-performers who don’t receive it well.

It’s best to see feedback as a set of five escalating conversations. The goal is for the team member to understand how they are failing to meet expectations and change their behavior. Eventually, if they don’t improve, you’ll let them go. But start simply and then escalate:

Giving regular feedback on a specific project or task. Highlight wins (plusses) and do-differently-next-time (deltas)

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Conversation 1: Ongoing Task-Based Feedback (Plus/Delta)

Addressing the patterns that are concerning directly and brainstorming together how to fix things (e.g., “Your missed deadlines are impacting other team members–how can we fix things so that your timelines are more reliable?”).

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Set clear expectations with deadlines and consequences (e.g., “I need you to deliver your projects on time; We’ve talked about this and I’m worried. I need to see meaningful change in this dimension.”).

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Escalate the consequences and outline specific goals and metrics for success. Be clear that if the team member doesn't improve, their current role is on the line.

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If no improvement, transition them out or to a better-fit role, preserving team momentum. At this point, you are sharing the decision and perhaps discussing how to implement it.

Negative Feedback and Holding a Team Member Accountable 25-min video above.

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