Constructive way to give negative feedback to boss?

Question

My boss has solicited feedback from me.

The feedback I would like to give is that in the past months he hasn't been hosting any team meetings and that it would be good to resume them as they are really helpful to build the confidence in a team. I feel it's a basic thing a team lead should do... I am not good at giving feedback. I read that to give negative feedback in a constructive way, its better to start pointing something positive.

Can someone provide advise whether the following is fine? And any improvement if possible?

"I like that there is a good communication and collaborative environment in the team. Something that was good was that in the past we used to have team meetings: I think they were an open opportunity to come together, hear what everyone was up to, and if we could help in any way. While I would agree that there is no need to oftenly have them, maybe once in a while could be good."

Answer 1

You're on the right track, in fact, you're better than 80% there. You said:

"I like that there is a good communication and collaborative environment in the team. Something that was good was that in the past we used to have team meetings: I think they were an open opportunity to come together, hear what everyone was up to, and if we could help in any way. While I would agree that there is no need to oftenly have them, maybe once in a while could be good."

I would rewrite it slightly.

"We have a great team with strong communication and collaboration. In my opinion, this is largely due to the team meetings we had. I liked that we could come together, hear what everyone was up to, and gave us the opportunity to help each other. We haven't had one in months, and I am concerned about team cohesion. I would like to suggest that we resume these meetings so that we can continue to maintain our strength and cohesion. I understand that we may not be able to have them with the same frequency, but even an occasional meeting would be very productive. Thank you for your time and for reading this."

Now, for my reasoning.

• You always want to begin in a positive way.
• You express your concerns in the middle
• You propose solutions
• You support your proposal

In doing these things, you make the feedback as constructive as possible while maintaining professionalism and a good positive attitude. You will definitely come across as a team player.

You have the right approach, and certainly the right attitude! Good luck!