Berger Leadership Blog

Speaking at last week's Congressional Caucus. (Kevin Dietsch photo)

NAFCU staff last week pulled off what I think was hands-down the best Congressional Caucus yet. Credit union representatives from around the country came to Washington, D.C., and heard from many leading lawmakers and regulators about the good work the industry has and continues to do. I was flooded with positive messages from our members about the conference.

I couldn’t be more proud of my colleagues. Their connections with each other and NAFCU’s member credit unions are some of the reasons that make our organization so great. And congratulating them on their successful effort last week got me thinking about the importance of feedback.

Delivering positive feedback is one of the great perks of being a leader. But delivering negative feedback, though necessary at times, can be a not-so-great experience. An Inc.com article lists several ways leaders can deliver negative feedback that helps employees improve their performance and makes your company better.

A few of the suggestions include:

• Stick to the facts. Describe the specific behavior you would like to see changed and the impact the current behavior has on other team members and the organization.
• Talk about the next steps. Talk about what you’d like to see going forward and outline exactly what your expectations are.
• Balance the bad with the good. Sometimes it’s easy to notice what went wrong with someone’s work, and we overlook how often that person has done really good work. Don’t fall into that trap.
• Don’t wait. Make sure the feedback is delivered in a timely manner. Don’t save up good or bad feedback but set aside time regularly to deliver your comments.

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