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Condescending Treatment Insults Communication Feedback

My manager sent me a written critique of a report that I wrote, and the tone of his comments was arrogant and somewhat mean. My report was not all that bad, and his review threw me off. Should I let this go or should I say something?



Even if the best thing that could be said about your report is that you made an excellent choice of fonts, there would still be no reason for your manager to be condescending or snide.

The most effective managers understand how important it is to be a coach for one's employees. Managers who jump at opportunities to insult their staff when mistakes are made are demonstrating little more than their own insecurity and incompetence.

Tell your manager that you have some questions about the report and his feedback, and you would like to meet with him to discuss them. At the meeting, you should take out the report and his review, go through the key sections of the report, and link them to some quotes from his review.

When he hears how his words actually sound, his reaction will be quite telling. Perhaps he will clarify what he meant, backpedal a little, rationalize that he was having a bad day, or even apologize. Or, he may say nothing at all. Either way, you should ask for his suggestions as to the ways to prevent these problems from occurring in the future. And, speaking of suggestions, you can suggest that one solution may be more two-way communication with him during the report-writing process.




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