Member-only story
How to give your team the feedback they need
Even when you’re not around
I manage a team of project managers. Each project manager on my team works directly with one or more cross-functional software teams. They spend more than 90% of their time with these teams on a daily basis.
As their manager, I do not get a lot of time to work directly with them on initiatives nor am I in their meetings on a daily basis. This makes it really hard for me to give them meaningful feedback in the moment.
Feedback is critical
I believe feedback is a critical part of my role as a manager and it is a critical part of growing in your career. In the absence of feedback, your team may begin to question how well they are doing at their job. It can be an unsettling place to be when work is being done but no affirmation, confirmation or correction is coming in. It would be like playing tennis with no coach, no opponent and no spectators. What’s the point?
The struggle
Early on I struggled to find opportunities to provide feedback. I tried asking for more details. This was helpful, but time consuming. They had to spend precious time explaining the nuances of their day and meetings. This annoyed them and it wasn’t really that helpful for me. I was able to pick up little…
