{"id":544,"date":"2017-12-01T02:04:22","date_gmt":"2017-12-01T02:04:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/danielvlopes238992071.wordpress.com\/2017\/12\/01\/dont-want-to-be-a-bad-manager-stop-feeding-shit-sandwiches\/"},"modified":"2024-10-11T10:24:46","modified_gmt":"2024-10-11T17:24:46","slug":"dont-want-to-be-a-bad-manager-stop-feeding-shit-sandwiches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canopy.is\/blog\/2017\/12\/01\/dont-want-to-be-a-bad-manager-stop-feeding-shit-sandwiches\/","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t want to be a bad manager? Stop feeding Shit Sandwiches"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the most popular methods of delivering difficult employee feedback is, well, shit. Here\u2019s why and what you should do\u00a0instead\u2026<\/h2>\n
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I recently ran into a friend who mentioned how she uses the Shit Sandwich to deliver feedback.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re not familiar with it, the Shit Sandwich is a technique for delivering feedback popularized by the classic management read, The One Minute Manager<\/em>. It\u2019s when you layer your feedback \u201cgood-bad-good.\u201d You say one complimentary thing to your coworker (one slice of bread), then offer the critique or piece of feedback (the \u201cshit\u201d filling in the middle), and then bookend it with another complimentary comment (the other slice of bread).<\/p>\n

My friend and I went back and forth about it. We disagreed. I don\u2019t think the Shit Sandwich works at all.<\/p>\n

On the surface, it seems like a solid tactic. You help the person know what they\u2019re doing well, which is great. It\u2019s always good to give positive reinforcement. And it\u2019s nice to know there\u2019s a handy framework when you\u2019re in an uncomfortable situation. Telling someone what they might not want to hear is never fun.<\/p>\n

However, the Shit Sandwich can easily backfire. Here\u2019s why\u2026<\/p>\n

It\u2019s predictable.<\/h4>\n

Most people have been fed the Shit Sandwich before\u200a\u2014\u200aso they know what\u2019s coming. You\u2019re not doing anyone any favors by trying to add cushioning before and after the bad news.<\/p>\n

It feels disingenuous.<\/h4>\n

Because it\u2019s predictable and feels formulaic, it can come across as fake. As a result, the good things you said will be labeled as \u201cnot true\u201d because, to the recipient, it\u2019ll feel like you were obligated to say these \u201cgood things.\u201d<\/p>\n

People tune out the good, and zoom in on the\u00a0bad.<\/h4>\n

Oftentimes, even if what you point out as the \u201cgood things\u201d will be cast aside entirely. People tend to have heightened sensitivity about what\u2019s being critiqued when they know what\u2019s coming, and when the \u201cgood stuff\u201d feels fake.<\/p>\n

The reality is that the Shit Sandwich doesn\u2019t make the other person feel comfortable\u200a\u2014\u200ait only makes you<\/em> feel comfortable. No one likes to be seen as \u201cthe bad guy\u201d or a heartless leader. So you pepper in the \u201cgood stuff\u201d around the \u201cbad stuff\u201d to make you<\/em> feel more comfortable in delivering the news.<\/p>\n

You layer the feedback \u201cgood-bad-good\u201d for your own<\/em> benefit. Not theirs. Seems pretty shitty, to me.<\/p>\n

If anything, the Shit Sandwich should be called what it is because you\u2019re simply feeding the other person shit.<\/em><\/p>\n

So what should you do instead? Read the four things that managers do (that bad managers don\u2019t) when delivering honest feedback<\/a>.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t have to deliver shit.<\/p>\n\n\n

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