Associates, if you turned in work that was subpar how would you want the partner to approach you to tell you about it?

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Walk into my office with a smile and say, without skipping a beat, “you know X that you did for me , (but a really short pause) I didn’t love it but here’s how we can improve it / do better for next time (or whatever)” then proceed with constructive criticism or renewed instruction. And at the end tell me that you know I can do it.

likehelpful

I prefer when someone just tells me what the issue is without wrapping it up in something soft. If someone thinks highly of me and my work, it shouldn’t be weird for them to say “hey this wasn’t what I wanted/hoped for.” When someone comes in with too much build up or when they wait a long time to tell me there was a problem, I end up wondering if they didn’t think highly enough of my ability to think I could do better.

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Agreed. I’m an adult. If I screwed up, tell me. However, just tell me. Don’t bring the emotion into it: no aggravation, no anger, no exasperation. Be clear and direct, but don’t drag me through the mud.

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Thank you for asking this question

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“You’re doing a good job on [find something positive to say], but here’s [what I prefer/what’s best practice/how I think we could improve] on [the bad parts] and here’s why [the teaching opportunity part].”

I work with junior associates and find that using positivity works better than just pointing out mistakes and it makes me feel better about criticizing someone who is working hard. Alternatively, if you decide to fix it yourself, using redlines and good comment bubbles explaining why you changed what you changed is more helpful than just changing it.

likehelpful

Absolutely! Most partners do not explain why they changed something, and I am so grateful to those that do, so that I can learn something! I prefer matter of fact communication, as in, let’s add a legal argument on this, let’s remove this point, etc. Then it feels like we are working together, as teammates.

likehelpful

LOVE this question. The first thing I want my boss to do is look at the tasking memo/email. If I did what the memo/email asked for, but that's not what s/he wants, the problem is with the assignment and not the associate. If the memo/email is clear and I messed it up, I hope my boss would do me the courtesy of a conversation: what was wrong and how to do better, but more importantly, why it was wrong.

likehelpful

I find giving context behind your feedback is often the best way to allow someone who works for you, or who reports to you, to better anticipate what you really want in the future. While you’re likely trying to highlight (colourfully or not) to your subordinate the fact that they just fucked up, doing it this way can actually come off as compassionate in some way because you invite them to understand you vs fear you perpetually.

Which also means, if the errors don’t stop.. then something’s not clicking with them. And after a while, requiring context all the time should also become a clear indicator that maybe this person might not be living up to your work ethic.

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You’re already doing great by even asking this question. Folks above have given lots of good suggestions for the actual delivering of the feedback. I would add that I think it’s most helpful, if time permits, to have the associate make any changes required to the work after going through why those changes are needed. I’ve also found (both as an assignor or work and someone who is assigned work) that it can be difficult to distinguish between “wrong” and “not the way I would do it.” I’ve tried to be careful to not confuse to two when delivering feedback.

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No emotion—just explaining what could be done differently and why.

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Take a deep breath and try not to be annoyed or angry. Taking the impulsiveness out of wanting to slam the associate is a huge step in the right direction. There are times when I know I’ve pissed off my principal and he’s pretty gracious about sharing blame for mistakes. Everything else above is really great advice too.

Look up the SBI approach to feedback! “Name, on “date” you turned in ——. After reviewing it, I am disappointed/frustrated/confused/concerned (whatever emotion).” Do not say anything else. Let the associate take a few second to respond. After their response, follow up with why. A lot of times, you will learn something important and avoid a defensive position from the associate. For example, they may respond, “I know, I struggled with such and such,” or, “I’m sorry it’s not what you wanted I was really confused about —,” or, “I was under time pressure to turn it in and I was up three nights in a row with the baby and it wasn’t my best work.” After the associate responds, explain what you were looking for, why, what was wrong, what you expect differently in the future and ask them how you can help them improve.

This sounds god awful

I’d take it in any form, but specifics of what went wrong and how it should go next time are key. The fact that you’re telling me and providing any feedback at all is valuable in itself.

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