Since the company’s HR department spent a lot of time and money developing a new employee survey, Olivia decided to be honest when she received it.  The intention seemed earnest enough, after all, and Olivia thought her feedback would help the company reach its goal of increased employee engagement.

In the comments section of the survey, Olivia noted the lack of empowerment among junior staff as well as the overly critical eye of management.  She cited examples of inconsistent expectations and unkept promises.

Although the survey was not anonymous, Olivia never imagined she would be called out for being insubordinate.  She received a “talking to” from her boss as well as her Group Head and was treated like a naughty child until the situation was so intolerable Olivia felt she had to leave.

The Truth?  You Can’t Handle the Truth!

It’s tempting to use company evaluations, your own performance reviews, or others’ performance reviews to express your true opinions about the organization or its people.  I urge you to use discretion, because blatant honest comments – especially when your feedback is negative – can wreck havoc on your career if they fall into the wrong hands.

Even if a survey is technically anonymous, it can often be traced to you if each employee is provided with her own URL, and your candidness could come back to haunt you.  Employers may say that they value your opinion, but the hard truth is, sometimes they simply want you to tell them how great things are.

Always Be Constructive

If you genuinely feel that your organizational culture is one that supports growth and change and that you can share criticism without being penalized for it, then make sure you are unwaveringly constructive in your comments.  Read over your feedback two or three times to ensure that everything you say is motivated by your concern for the company, not concern for yourself.

In the Exit Interview, You DO Have Something to Lose

Even if you’re leaving the company and are in the midst of an exit interview, you should dial it down.  As I said in a post last year on leaving your job gracefully, stick to official business as much as possible, and if you must provide criticism of any kind, proceed with tact and caution.  Please do not complain about the company’s difficult personalities and insufferable policies.  Having the last word is not a good enough reason to risk ruining the good reputation you built with that company, or to close the door on any opportunities to work with that organization in the future.

Ideally, the feedback you are about to deliver shouldn’t be a surprise.  Good managers address negative performance as specific examples come up and immediately work with the employee to improve.  But in the real-world, this may not always happen, and even if it has, the annual or semi-annual review is the time to re-address past issues.  Here are a few suggestions to help you through what may be an uncomfortable task:

Spend Time in Advance

You will need to cite at least two instances of each area that needs to be improved, so go through your e-mails, notes, and other documentation to make sure you can present an air-tight case.  With negative feedback, it’s especially critical to be objective rather than subjective.

Don’t Involve Other Subordinates

Whenever possible, use examples you witnessed first-hand.  It’s a dangerous game to rely on another of your reports for negative performance details because the details are hearsay and you don’t want to play the “he said she said” game.  Shifting responsibility for the feedback to another team member may also cause an interpersonal issue between those two, so try to avoid naming names.

Get Straight to the Point

Don’t put off the review conversation because that will just make things worse for both of you.  Sit down the week the review is due and don’t mince words.  While it may be easier to start off with small talk, asking about the employee’s child’s birthday party and telling her you’re disappointed in her performance in the next breath will sound insincere.

Present a Balanced Viewpoint

Speak to your positive feedback first, demonstrating that you are aware of her positive results and contributions.  Then, before you launch into the areas for improvement, thank the employee for her willingness to listen to and address these areas with an open mind.

Keep Your Tone Professional

Your employee may become defensive.  Do not let her emotions rile you.  Keep the discussion factual, don’t raise your voice, and never allow comments to veer into personal territory.  Your feedback should be related to the employee’s job performance – nothing more.

Follow Up Conscientiously

Work with the employee to develop concrete action items related to performance improvement.  If you need to put her on probation, make that clear.  Set up periodic check-ins to ensure that key issues are being addressed, and take responsibility for the fact that she is your employee to develop.  Document everything so that you can’t be dinged later for letting her go without cause or warning.

This is easier said than done.  In fact, getting honest, helpful feedback from people with whom you have personal relationships can be extremely difficult.  This is because individuals who like us want to be supportive and are also afraid of hurting our feelings.

The only way you will get feedback you can use is to be very strategic in asking the right questions in the right forums, and to develop a reputation as someone who takes constructive criticism well.

Following are some suggestions for approaching superiors, subordinates, and clients/mentors:

Asking Your Superiors

The annual or bi-annual performance review is a great place to begin.  Print out your last review and look at the goals and/or action steps outlined.  Then, set up a meeting with your boss and anyone else who supervises your work on a regular basis.

The goal of these meetings should be soliciting concrete feedback on your progress, and while they’re occurring, try to maintain a good balance between listening to what your superior has to say and playing an active role in the conversation.

Don’t be afraid to ask specific questions about any feedback you receive so that you know how to proceed.  Once the cycle is complete, your managers might be perfectly happy to forget about your performance until the next official review period. Don’t let them. Be proactive about setting up follow up meetings to review your progress, address potential problems, and incorporate new responsibilities and priorities.

When it comes time for your next official review, make sure your boss gives it to you. This may sound silly, but you’d be surprised how many organizations de-emphasize the importance of the official review. Remember, though, that it’s your right to request a timely appraisal. Think of the official review as an opportunity to sell your manager on your value to the company as well as collect up-to-date feedback on your performance.

To prepare, think about successful projects that demonstrate how you’ve improved in previously identified weak areas.  Also, brainstorm concrete examples that illustrate outstanding work, and practice communicating them so they’re on the tip of your tongue.

Beware of asking for superior feedback too often, for if you are in your boss’ office every ten minutes asking for reassurance on the most mundane task, he may begin to perceive you as needy and irritating.   It’s a fine line between appearing eager to learn and be guided and becoming the person your manager dreads seeing in the hall.

Asking Your Subordinates

360 degree reviews that solicit feedback from subordinates are a terrific way to get a clearer picture of your leadership strengths and areas for improvement and ensure that your effectiveness increases over time.

A 360 degree assessment can typically be distributed to several raters of your choosing and includes a list of questions about standard leadership competencies.  If your organization has a 360 degree review process in place already, you should definitely participate.  If it doesn’t, however, it’s easy enough to purchase a commercial, web-based service that e-mails a survey directly to your raters.  Popular commercial assessments include the Leadership Practices Inventory and the Leadership Mirror.

There are a few important things to keep in mind regarding 360 degree reviews.  The first is confidentiality.

You must give direct reports the ability to provide comments anonymously or you will probably not get feedback that’s honest enough for improvement purposes.

If you only have a few direct reports (or even just one), then you might consider including peers so that individuals cannot be readily identified.

The second is follow up.  If you want your direct reports to continue to buy into the process and believe it to be credible, then you must create a specific action plan to address points of feedback that are consistent among several raters.

Asking Clients and Mentors

It’s also a good idea to periodically collect feedback from trusted individuals who work with you as clients or mentors.  For this, you might use a free online service like Rypple.  Rypple lets clients and mentors know you’re looking for feedback or advice, and gives them a quick way to tell you what they really think on a particular question or issue.  Their identities are kept secret, it only takes them a minute to respond, and they don’t need their own Rypple accounts.  You can then review the results and implement changes in real time.