Feedback is an essential part of our growth and development. The challenge is, especially as accountants, we don’t like giving feedback. According to a study performed for this article, in the Harvard Business Review, we prefer to avoid giving corrective feedback. However, when asked about receiving feedback, people want to receive corrective feedback more than they want to receive encouraging feedback. According to the article: “ . . .92% of the respondents agreed with the assertion, “Negative (redirecting) feedback, if delivered appropriately, is effective at improving performance.”

So the next time you consider avoiding the opportunity to provide feedback and make those tax return changes yourself, remember, your staff want to receive feedback. It could go something like this:

Justin: Hey Alex, I’ve got your review notes from the tax return. I noticed a couple of areas that need adjustments. Is now a good time to discuss them?

Alex: Ok, sure.

Justin: First, you entered the charitable donations under “Miscellaneous Deductions” instead of “Itemized Deductions.” It belongs in the latter because it qualifies for itemization, which helps in getting a more accurate deduction amount.

Alex: Oh, I see.

Justin: In addition, you entered the expenses for office supplies under “Capital Expenditures.” They should be listed under “Operating Expenses” since they’re regular expenses incurred for the business’s daily operations.

Alex: Ok, anything else?

Justin: Remember, it’s all about ensuring the right information goes into the right place to make our reports accurate and compliant. Keep up the good work on submitting your engagements on time! If you have any more questions or need further clarification, just let me know.

This dialogue underscores the importance of providing clear, actionable, corrective feedback. It is important to be clear about what should be done differently. Our brains can only DO something, it can’t NOT do something. By focusing on what needs to be done and explaining why, staff members like Alex can learn and improve, leading to more accurate and efficient work. Continue to balance correction with positive reinforcement. What gets recognized, gets repeated.

Remember, these skills are drawn from our Delivering Effective Feedback course, which equips managers with the tools they need to lead and communicate more successfully.