Are you aware of the incredible value of the SBI Feedback Model for executive coaching? Jason (not his real name, of course!) was increasingly irritated with the attitude of a direct report — Reilly. Over the past several months, Reilly had become increasingly negative, dismissive, and sarcastic with her colleagues. They weren’t generally big things, but they were happening a lot, and they added up. Jason had had enough.
One day recently, after a team meeting at which Reilly had been particularly sarcastic and negative, she said something fairly innocuous to Jason — but negative and dismissive. It was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Jason “offered feedback” on the spot, telling her that her attitude was terrible, counter-productive, and intolerable. He was upset and trying to control his emotions.
Reilly was completely taken aback. This hurricane of vague, harsh feedback seemed to come out of nowhere. She wasn’t following Jason’s train of thought. In fact, she thought the comment she had just made was pretty harmless — she was not connecting the dots the way Jason was. She felt under attack. After, when working with Jason directly, she shut down, becoming quiet, defensive, and very cautious around him.