Tech Manager—Constructive Correctives
Earlier this year, I wrote about receiving criticism and how you can use it to strengthen your management efforts. I now turn to when you need to give correctives to others. Everyone needs to be corrected from time to time. Whether it is a “misinformed” choice they have made, or a statement they made that was a little too blunt, or maybe they are just not aware of a better way of doing something. Any way you look at it we give or get correctives all the time. In order for others to take a corrective as being constructive, we need to know how to deliver them.
When and How to give a Corrective
The best time and way to give a corrective is when it will be used constructively by the person who receives it. This is not an easy thing to determine. It is like trying to teach a teenager about proper manners. Depending on the venue and the timing, sometimes they get offended or couldn’t care less, other times, they may actually listen. So, the timing and wording of your corrective may change depending on the need and the situation.
Correctives need to be given when someone has deviated from the plan or norm of the situation or when they have not fully understood the process or goal to achieve. You don’t want to walk around correcting everyone on anything you think might not be perfect. Keep it focused on the correctives that are needed. The ones that will prevent troubles or improve productivity. Ask yourself why you are offering a corrective. Is the corrective going to improve things or is it just someone doing things another way that you think is not optimal or the way you expected? Is it just annoying you or are others also concerned or impacted? Is it wrong, or just different? If it does not fall into the “needed” column, then don’t think of it as a corrective, but rather an opportunity for more training. Training can happen later. Let’s assume that you have defined this event as needing a corrective. And that this is NOT a personnel issue that involves the persons character, personality and demeanor. Their boss needs to handle those. I am focused on process, procedure or correctives on standards that usually include people that do not report to you.
Where to give a Corrective
Everyone says this, but it deserves repeating. Do it in private. Unless it is an immediate corrective that I will discuss next, do not correct someone in public. People hate being corrected in public and they will have trouble getting past the annoyance to hear what you have to say. Take them to your office or away from others hearing and calmly deliver the suggested modifications.
Right Away
Some infractions need correctives to happen right away, “Wait, don’t do that yet.” Stepping in right away may avert a deepening of the problem or prevent collateral damage. You need to graciously step in and prevent further damage. If this is called for, do it gently and just ask for a pause. Don’t demean them or give them cause to ignore your comments by being derogative. Follow it up with a quick, “Can we try this first?”
After a Pause
While stepping in immediately may be needed, usually you can think about your approach before you talk to the person. You need to take some time to think about the message you want to get across and the outcome you want to see. By taking a little time, you can think through scenarios and wording. When you are ready, then you can pick the spot.
When you are ready to provide a corrective, ask questions first. “I saw that you did ‘this’ earlier, how did you decide that method?” Or anything that does not challenge their actions outright. You first need to verify what they were doing and why. If the house was on fire, they did not need to ring the doorbell before running in to save people. It will not always be that obvious, but you want to give them a chance to explain their actions. Sometimes, they will know they did something wrong and tell you that they need help. If that happens, no corrective needed – just some training. If they define their thinking and it has merit, you can regroup and take it under advisement, but remind them that standards need to be followed and can’t just be ignored. And that if there is a better way of doing things, you are all for it.
Don’t wait too long after an event to deliver a correction. The more time in between an event and the correction, the more time the person thinks things are fine and may repeat the infraction. Don’t ignore the issue either. I covered that is my Find – Fix – Finish articles. If you notice something, keep an eye on it.
The Next Time it Happens
If it is not a major issue, you could wait until the next time the difficulty comes up. By waiting, you see if this a repeating event or just a one-off that does not come back. The one-offs can be handled with casual suggestions at improvement and not as direct challenges to the persons efforts. Just stop by their desk later and have a casual conversation about the issue.
Get them Involved
You can always continue down the question approach. I try to do this, but not every time. It depends on the person you are working with. If they are open to adjustment, help them think about changes until they get to the answer you are looking for. Ask them if they see the troubles with what they did (they may not even see it as an issue). When the corrective measures are being discussed, ask them what might be done next time. Ask them if have tried anything else that got better results.
What Not to Do
When delivering correctives, you should avoid some methods that might seem obvious, but we all stumble in these areas at some point. Do not laugh at them. This is insulting. Not much you say is even heard, if it comes after a laugh. Do not mock them. Do not tell others what they were doing wrong, just work with them. No need to broadcast the troubles. Do not tell their boss about the troubles (unless they keep coming back). Do not overreact. If the issue is not dire, then don’t blast them with correctives. Keep it as simple, short and focused as you can.
Giving correctives is part of policing the processes of tech work. It is needed and needs to be done with kindness, encouragement and tack. It pays off, if you get it right.
