The NUS Business Entrepreneurs Society conducts meetings on every alternate Saturday from 9am-3pm. There is also a lunch break from 12-1pm. As the chairman of the NUS Business Entrepreneurs Society, you are conducting the yearly evaluations/performance reviews for your club. The evaluations are sent to the head, Prof Andrew Tan. Students who stand out will be given more opportunities to achieve their Entrepreneurship goals and receive recognition.
You are meeting with one committee member, namely Soniya and you express that she is doing good work, and is professional and courteous to fellow members and clients. However, you also indicate that there are some areas of improvement needed including: taking too much time at lunch (more than allotted time), coming to meetings late and leaving early. Soniya is astounded and says that because you didn’t address these issues way before so why are you doing it now. She also tells you that she stays back and gets any work that has to be finished urgently done if she is late for meetings.
You explain that these issues have been discussed with the entire committee in past meetings – the topics of being punctual, and not abusing flexible scheduling in this society , and thought your message was clear. Soniya storms out of the performance review saying how unfair you are, and she is going to report you to Prof Andrew Tan and NUSSU. As the chairman, you are pressured not to let the issue get blown out of proportion as it will reflect badly on the society’s image.
What would your next move be? How do you resolve this?
Sunday, February 7, 2010
What would your next move be?
Posted by Ganesh at 3:01 AM
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7 comments:
Hi Ganesh,
I believe the scenario is a case of misunderstanding. (Treating constructive criticism as a form of insult)
Complicating matters may not be the best solution and thus I should try to settle it with her peacefully.
In most cases of conflict, it would be good to let the other party cool down first. Then, arrange to meet up over a cup of tea.
In the most tactful way possible, I will explain to her that it was all a misunderstanding and that I am just giving her constructive criticism. I would apologise for the way in which message I sent across to her was treated as being rude. Since I was conducting the performance review on that day, the suggestions are to let her improve herself further. Not in any circumstance am I picking out her faults and mocking at her.
I would emphasise that all members of the society were being evaluated and given suggestions on how to improve themselves, thus explaining to her that you are not just biased against her.
To forgive and forget. I believe the misunderstanding would have been cleared.
I would take note of the method to give suggestions in the future. Be tactful; phrase the words properly so as not to offend the other party but at the same time telling her to improve.
I believe it takes time to learn on how to give constructive criticism, but it is a skill that proves useful in many situations in the future.
Regards,
Kevin Lin
Hello Ganesh,
As someone who is involved in this scenario, I would be shocked by Soniya's storming out. It is rude and highly disrespectful to everyone in the review.
As chairman of the club, I have the duty to not make any sweeping statements about her undue departure. I will not criticize her in front of the other members.
I would resume the performance review. Only after the review, would I call Soniya regarding the matter. I would first ask if her outburst was personal, and whether she is facing any personal problems. Personal problems could have affected her mentally and emotionally, so they should be resolved first.
Then, I would very politely explain to her that I wasn't trying to spite her, or put her in a spot. Being a chairman entails being the 'bad guy' at times, and it is my job to provide both positive and negative feedback. I would reiterate my impartiality in my critics, and no personal attack was involved.
I would remind her that she remains a valuable asset to the committee, and not let this criticism affect her morale. I would also want to meet her again, this time face-to-face.
I would also like to lift her spirits up again, so a casual dinner that night should do the trick!
Regards,
Justin
Hi Ganesh,
As the chairman in this situation, I would give Soniya sometime to cool down first, and arrange a personal meeting with Soniya later on.
First I would try to find out if there is any problem she is facing. After all, it is hard to be yourself and think calmly if you are having personal problems; I myself have experienced this :).
I would also give her a chance to explain and clarify if she would would like to do so. After all, I need to consider others' perspective on the problem as well.
Next, I would explain my role as the chairman is to objectively give constructive feedback to everyone alike. I would remind her that: I gave not just her, but also everyone else critics; but at the same time, I also gave her credits for her positive traits.
To end the talk, I would ask her to give any feedback on my way of observing and evaluating others as well.
As kevin said, it is most probably a case of misunderstanding, possibly because your tone was too serious or you expressed severe unhappiness towards her performance. Some people do take criticism very seriously and thinks that they had did their best. So when a criticism is cited, they will get agitated easily.
Since "i" want to keep the matter discrete, yet "i" do not want to let her continue what she did, the best thing to do, is perhaps, find out what is actually taking her so long for her meals. If the reason is valid, do try to make amendment for her. If not, try to get a friend, best if it is one friend as well, to talk to her to try to be more punctual in future.
From what I understand of the situation, you're giving the individual members a verbal version of a written review that you will be submitting?
If so, instead of waiting for Soniya to cool down, I think it would be better if u try to find Soniya since she did mention she was going to complain to the higher authorities. You would then have to calm her down, and ask her if she could have a meeting with you again soon. This would allow her some time to reflect on her actions and for you to plan a better approach to the review, seeing as she is pretty sensitive to criticism.
During the next meeting, you would have to make it clear that you are trying to provide an un-bias review and that if she is unhappy, she can voice it out calmly, provided she reflects on if what you said is true or not, based on the evidence. Remind her too, that this review is to help her improve and it's not a platform to insult her. Asking her to calmly listen to the whole review before defending herself might be good too.
After giving the review, a short break would provide you time to reflect on your tone during the review and for her to reflect on the review. This should allow both of you to calmly discuss any points she believes to be unfair with the review.
Hi Ganesh,
I think you should meet her over a cup of tea or coffee. During the meeting, explain to her that reporting to Prof Andrew Tan and NUSSU would not solve the problem. Rather it would aggravate it. It would reflect a bad impression about the club.
You should make her realise how important she is to the club. Talk about her good qualities. Then in a subtle manner reveal to her the bad qualities in her. Offer constructive criticism and make sure she doesn’t misinterpret you this time.
Since punctuality is one of the biggest issues tell her how important punctuality is. Explain to her that the review exercise was only to help them get better and he has no personal grudges against her.
I think talking to each other calmly can solve any problem. Give her time to ponder on what you said.
I understand that constructive criticism is often misinterpreted by people but then we should make sure our words don’t offend the person.
However, your post is quite well-written. Moreover, finally there is a photo of yourself on the blog page.
:) :)
Best Regards,
Nitika
Hi everyone,
Thank you for the comments and suggestions.
I think most of us agree that the problem is a misunderstanding. Soniya took offense to what the chairman said when in actual fact it was supposed to be constructive. She was probably worried the "negative" feedback would affect her credentials and chances. Thus, she acted in such a manner.
As for the chairman, maybe he could have told Soniya about her flaws much earlier so that she would have corrected it. Also, the tone and choice of words when you have to give unpleasant feedback has to be appropriate.
If I were to be caught in such a situation, I would first give Soniya ample time to cool off. Then, I will hold a private meeting with her. I will explain to her that what I said was actually meant to help her and not put her down or anything. I will also explain to her my situation that as a chairman it is hard to please everyone. Finally, I will remind her that she's an asset to the club.
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