Very often managers who give negative feedback will sandwich it between positive news.  An example of this tactic may sound something like the following:  

        "You're always on time for work.  You really handled that call poorly.  You greeted the caller correctly."

So perhaps I'm exaggerating a little, but the point is the positive feedback is supposed to make the recipient feel better about receiving the negative feedback.  The problem with using this tactic is everyone knows what is coming, making the positive feedback feel artificial.  Solidifying that feeling is the fact the recipient walks away from the meeting with a list of tactics and promises to improve the negative feedback, but no action items are necessary for what is done well.

What if that were to change, however?  What if employees had action items not only for what they needed to improve, but also what they did well?   Making this change could revolutionize the morale of your employees and improve your clients' experience.  Leverage your employees' best-practices by giving all employees action items, not only on what they need to improve, but also on what they do well.  You'll improve your clients' experience in the process.

******************************************************************************************
Develop your customized service strategy and implement more than 50 tactics by picking up a copy of my book, The Service Journey; available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Borders and more!