Close your eyes and pretend for a minute that you are back on the elementary school playground. Do you remember the little girl or boy who would say something mean about someone else and then when they were called out for it said “but I’m just telling the truth!” We don’t always like to hear feedback, particularly negative feedback. But often as a manager, it’s your job to deliver that information, ideally in a way that’s constructive and helpful. But no matter how well you deliver the message, you almost always have to deal with SARAH.
What is SARAH? It’s a great construct for understanding how people process feedback, and it can be a big help in understanding how to deliver information in a constructive way.
S is for SHOCK