The Only Glory in Making a Mistake is What You Can Learn from It
Without a doubt, managers of apartment communities will face the challenge of identifying deficiencies in their onsite staff’s performance. They must also know how to deliver constructive feedback that targets the issue, not the person. The goal is to correct substandard actions without leaving employees feeling attacked or defensive.
These conversations come from a place of respect. Higher expectations for leasing consultants, maintenance technicians, and assistant managers reflect the high esteem we hold for them. Effective leaders recognize that no one is perfect. Even the best employees can make mistakes, especially without proper guidance and coaching.
It is equally important to recognize when someone makes an honest mistake. Sensitivity and understanding go a long way in building trust. By following a few simple guidelines, managers can address unacceptable actions clearly while keeping employees motivated to grow and improve professionally.
Do not shame your employee.
Attaching shame to what is likely an honest mistake serves no real purpose. It only makes the criticism feel personal and discouraging. Instead, focus your feedback on the performance, not the person. Keep your comments specific to the action that needs improvement.
When you separate behavior from identity, employees can listen without feeling attacked. They may still feel regret or embarrassment, but that reaction often turns into genuine accountability. Over time, this approach helps them align with your shared goal – eliminating the same error in the future and improving overall performance.
If possible, make criticisms a private matter.
This is related to not shaming your employees. Being mindful of the wonderful array of personalities we have in our apartment communities, some may be embarrassed by the public address of his or her mistakes. Be careful in also making it obvious to his or her peers that you may be delivering some sort of correction or criticism. Don’t make it look like he or she is being “called to the principal’s office.” Even though the specifics may remain private, an employee’s peers may still see the person having to be corrected.
Give one criticism at a time.
Do not dump a whole list on them at once. Even if there is more than one deficiency, prioritize, and only deliver the correction for the negative action needing the most immediate attention. This will eliminate your employee’s feeling of being overwhelmed by too many tasks to correct.
Once you have made the criticism, do not keep bringing it up.
Again, your employees truly want to do his or her best for you, and one criticism is almost always enough to have him or her make the necessary improvements. Once you verify that the action is currently being corrected or has been corrected, there is no reason to revisit the topic. It is already obvious by their immediate action the lesson will not be forgotten.
Be flexible in the manner you deliver a criticism.
Some employees really do well to know the reasoning why the correction needs to be made. It is not to say they want to question your reasoning, but rather he or she may see it as a greater learning opportunity. Others may simply just need a simple explanation of what correction needs to be made without the nuisance of details. Again, this is not a sign of disrespect as some employees feel best reacting to criticism with immediate action and reserve explanations for a later time. But you know your people and you know the best way to approach each of their personalities.
Ultimately, consider these things in the context of the Golden Rule. Give criticisms like you would want to receive criticisms. Addressing criticisms in this manner will eliminate the appearance of making it personal and will allow your employees to maintain dignity through his or her professional improvement. Then all can be focused on the apartment community’s common goals.