Launching your own business is a great way to take control of your destiny. You will probably look forward to running things as you see fit and being your own boss. However, as long as you work with other people there will always be an element that is out of your control.

You don’t need to see this as a bad thing, of course – that unpredictable energy and blend of ideas is exactly why it can be so exciting, and so fertile, to work with a team. But it does mean that from time to time there will be mistakes and wrong directions that it is your responsibility to correct. The language of positive feedback won’t always be sufficient to do so.

While all feedback should be constructive, failing to address poor performance or out-and-out misconduct directly can prevent your team from making meaningful improvements. Of course, you don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings or create a conflict situation, but the best way to prepare for this is to create, within your company, a culture of feedback which acknowledges that negative feedback is not personal – rather it is a healthy way of eliminating problems and promoting collective responsibility.

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When feedback is specific, structured, and fits the ethos that you’ve developed together as a team, it’s very useful. Remember to keep these discussions separate from talk about salary and promotions. These topics feel more personal and create a more emotionally-charged atmosphere. But you can provide targets and goals for improvement, as well as planning review dates to make sure that everything is back on track as it should be.

This new guide to negative feedback from Headway Capital is a good way to get to grips with the basics. Learn it well, because while it’s great being your own boss it isn’t always so straightforward to be the boss of someone else!

How to Use Negative Feedback in Your Own Business [INFOGRAPHIC]