What are effective strategies for delivering feedback to a underperforming employee?

• A. Schedule private, specific, evidence-based feedback; focus on behavior, explain business impact, invite input, and agree on a concrete action plan.
• B. Publicly critique and emphasize personal traits
• C. Focus only on outcomes, with no examples
• D. Delay feedback until a formal review

Answer: (A)

Delivering feedback effectively to an underperforming employee hinges on having a private, specific, evidence-based conversation that ties observable behavior to business impact and leads to concrete next steps. When feedback focuses on behavior rather than personal traits, the employee can hear what to change without feeling attacked. Explaining the business implications helps them see why the changes matter for goals and outcomes the organization cares about. Inviting the employee to share their perspective makes the discussion collaborative, increasing their buy-in and commitment to improvement. Reaching agreement on a concrete action plan with clear steps and timelines creates accountability and a path forward that can be monitored and adjusted as needed. Public critique, or highlighting only outcomes without concrete examples, tends to provoke defensiveness and provides little guidance for improvement. Delaying feedback until a formal review deprives the employee of timely information to course-correct.