Feedback

Introduction

Do you find it challenging to deliver feedback to others? Are you worried you’ll say something wrong, hurt their feelings or get into a confrontational argument? If so, you’re definitely not alone.

Providing constructive feedback is a common challenge faced by many of us, often stemming from a reluctance to cause discomfort or potential offense. It’s not uncommon for people to wrestle with a sense of uncertainty regarding the value of their input or fear of adversely affecting relationships. However, mastering the art of delivering feedback is integral to being an effective manager. And, contrary to what you might believe, your team expects and wants you to share your feedback.

As a manager, you play a crucial role in fostering growth and improvement within your team, and providing thoughtful feedback is a key mechanism for achieving this. By approaching feedback as an opportunity for development rather than as criticism, you can create an environment that encourages open communication and continuous improvement.

When delivered with empathy and clarity, constructive feedback can empower your team members to recognize their strengths, address areas for improvement, and ultimately contribute to the team’s overall success. In other words, embracing the importance of feedback not only enhances individual performance but also strengthens the collaboration needed for collective organizational accomplishment.

Types of Feedback

Feedback can be positive or negative and is used to enhance performance, correct errors, reinforce positive behaviors, or guide improvements. Depending on the setting, feedback can take various forms, including verbal communication, written comments, assessments, evaluations, or even non-verbal cues. Yet constructive feedback should focus on providing specific, actionable suggestions for improvement, and positive feedback should acknowledge and reinforce desired behaviors or outcomes.

According to Julie Zhuo, author of The Making of a Manager, there are four main strategies to inspire change and growth through feedback:

1. Set clear expectations from the beginning, ensuring alignment between you and your team on the definition of success. Offering guidance before work starts, along with advice on common pitfalls, establishes a strong foundation.
2. Provide task-specific feedback promptly and consistently. Focus on detailing what was done well, steering away from personal attributions. In other words, don’t make it personal.
3. When it comes to constructive feedback, share it thoughtfully and regularly, using personalized feedback with specific examples. Note that holding such discussions in person fosters a more nuanced understanding.
4. Maintain objectivity. A good way to do so is to collect 360-degree feedback and leverage colleagues’ perspectives to offer a comprehensive view and reduce the risk of any biases you might have affecting the message or how it is delivered.

Zhuo recommends having regular one-on-one behavioral feedback meetings to foster personal and professional development. These meetings should focus on helping your team to align their actions with broader career objectives and provide a more holistic perspective, offering insights into how personal traits, habits, and interpersonal skills are influencing their professional performance.

Feedback Tips

As previously mentioned, feedback should be task-specific, delivered promptly, and focused on the behavior or action rather than on the person. However, several additional tips can enhance the comfort of and receptivity to the feedback you’re delivering.

• Express your observations and feelings using first-person statements to avoid sounding accusatory. For example, say, “I noticed that…” or “I feel that…”
• Acknowledge strengths and achievements along with areas for improvement. This balance helps build trust and motivation. However, avoid offering gratuitous praise just to soften the blow of constructive feedback, as it will diminish your message.
• Choose an appropriate environment for the feedback discussion, ensuring privacy and minimizing distractions.
• Create an open dialogue by encouraging the recipient to share their perspective, ask questions, and provide input on solutions.
• Be future-oriented. Discuss ways to improve or specific actions for future success rather than solely discussing past mistakes.
• Support your feedback with specific examples to illustrate your points and make it easier for the recipient to understand.
• If applicable, suggest practical solutions and offer support in implementing changes. This demonstrates your commitment to the other person’s success.
• Avoid waiting until annual or semi-annual reviews to let people know that they are not meeting expectations. Those meetings should represent a summary of the prior period and shouldn’t feature material new information. Share your feedback in the moment instead.
• Whenever you feel disappointed in someone, ask yourself where you missed setting clear expectations or how you could be clearer in the future before meeting with the report.

Thought Leaders

There are numerous thought leaders who have contributed to the knowledge and understanding of the best ways to provide feedback and drive performance improvement. Here are a few notable figures:

1. Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen: Stone and Heen are experts in communication and negotiation, with a focus on the dynamics of giving and receiving feedback. They coauthored Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well.
2. Kim Scott: Scott is the author of Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity. She emphasizes the importance of direct and caring communication and creating a culture of feedback and improvement within organizations.
3. Daniel Pink: While not exclusively focused on feedback, Pink’s work, particularly in his book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, explores the psychological factors that influence performance and motivation, which are tied to feedback.
4. Susan Scott: Author of Fierce Conversations, Scott advocates for open and honest communication, encouraging leaders to have meaningful conversations that include feedback for personal and professional growth.
5. Julie Zhuo: Author of The Making of a Manager and former VP of Product Design at Facebook, Zhuo shares insights on management, leadership, and the building of effective teams. Her work often touches on communication and feedback within professional settings.
6. Simon Sinek: Renowned for his TED Talk How Great Leaders Inspire Action and the book Start with Why, Sinek is a thought leader in leadership and organizational culture. He emphasizes the importance of purpose and communication in leadership and often shares insights on the importance of providing honest feedback.
7. Brené Brown: A research professor and author known for her work on vulnerability, shame, and empathy, Brown’s teachings on leadership and personal development often include discussions on feedback, courage, and the importance of human connection.

Key Frameworks

One of the most outstanding frameworks that can be used to provide feedback is Kim Scott’s Radical Candor. This model involves four quadrants, each representing a different communication style. The model describes two spectrums, Caring Personally and Challenging Directly, that intersect, providing the four following quadrants:

1. Radical Candor: This quadrant represents the ideal balance of Caring Personally and Challenging Directly. It involves providing honest feedback with genuine concern for the individual’s well-being. It encourages open communication and fosters a culture of continuous improvement.
2. Obnoxious Aggression: This quadrant is characterized by a high level of Challenging Directly but a low level of Caring Personally. In this scenario, the feedback is direct and critical, but it lacks empathy and may come across as harsh. It can be demotivating and damage relationships if not balanced with genuine concern.
3. Ruinous Empathy: In this quadrant, there is a high level of Caring Personally but a low level of Challenging Directly. While the intention is to be empathetic and avoid hurting feelings, it may lead to avoiding necessary feedback or being too soft, hindering the individual’s growth and development.
4. Manipulative Insincerity: This quadrant involves a low level of both Caring Personally and Challenging Directly. Feedback in this category may lack sincerity and clarity. It can be detrimental as it neither addresses issues directly nor demonstrates genuine concern for the individual.

Image Source: https://www.radicalcandor.com/our-approach/

The Radical Candor framework encourages leaders to aim for the Radical Candor quadrant, fostering a culture of open communication, trust, and continuous improvement. It emphasizes the importance of both Caring Personally and Challenging Directly to build strong professional relationships and support individual and team growth. However, Scott also offers a 3-step approach to delivering radically candid feedback. The talented Dr. Hayley Lewis creatively summarized the model in the Sketchnote below.

Aside from Kim Scott’s Radical Candor Model, several frameworks and models exist for understanding and implementing feedback, performance improvement, and related concepts. Here are some notable ones:

1. SBI Model (Situation-Behavior-Impact): This model is often used for giving constructive feedback. It involves describing the specific situation, detailing the observed behavior, and explaining the impact of that behavior on oneself or others.
2. 360-Degree Feedback: This approach involves collecting feedback from various sources, including superiors, peers, subordinates, and sometimes even self-evaluations. It provides a comprehensive view of an individual’s performance and behavior.
3. The Feedback Sandwich: Also known as the praise-criticism-praise model, this approach involves sandwiching constructive criticism with positive feedback to make it more palatable and encouraging. Be mindful of this approach, though, as it has been overused, and its predictability has made it appear inauthentic, especially when the praise feels gratuitous – as mentioned earlier.
4. The COIN Model (Context, Observation, Impact, Next Steps): This framework suggests four steps: First, provide the context or background for the feedback. Then, share specific observations about the individual’s behavior. Then, explain the impact of the observed behavior on others or the situation. Finally, collaboratively discuss and plan the next steps for improvement.
5. The DESC Model (Describe, Express, Specify, Consequences): This model involves objectively describing the behavior or situation without judgment, expressing your feelings or thoughts about the behavior, clearly stating what you would like to see changed or improved, and explaining the positive outcomes or benefits that would result from the changes.
6. CEDAR (Context, Examples, Diagnosis, Action, Review): This model centers on giving effective feedback and facilitating personal or professional development through five steps: providing context, specific examples, a diagnosis, an action plan, and a review of progress.
7. GROW (Goal, Reality, Actions, Will): This model, usually used in coaching, suggests clarifying the goal or objective of the feedback, assessing the current reality or situation, exploring potential options or solutions, and determining the will or commitment to take action.

If you’d like to keep these models handy, you can access our PathWise cheat sheet here.

Feedback vs Coaching

Coaching and feedback are closely related but distinct concepts. While they share the goal of enhancing performance, they differ in timing, nature, and approach. Coaching is often characterized by its real-time, in-the-moment nature. It involves ongoing conversations and support aimed at guiding individuals through challenges, providing immediate insights, and fostering continuous improvement. Coaching is a dynamic and interactive process that occurs as situations unfold.

On the other hand, feedback tends to be more episodic and summarized. It involves providing reflective insights and assessments over a specific period, often highlighting achievements, areas for improvement, and overall performance. Feedback can be delivered periodically, such as during performance reviews or project evaluations, offering a comprehensive overview of an individual’s strengths and areas that require attention.

Coaching is the dynamic, ongoing dialogue that occurs in the present, while feedback is the retrospective, summarized reflection that encapsulates performance over a defined timeframe. While coaching and feedback are not the same, these practices complement each other, and both play key roles in professional development.

Receiving Feedback and Personal Development

Receiving feedback is critical for personal development as it provides us with valuable insights into our strengths, areas for improvement, and overall performance. Embracing feedback as a constructive and continuous process contributes significantly to lifelong learning and growth.

1. Increased Self-Awareness: Constructive feedback offers us a clearer understanding of our actions, behaviors, and potential outcomes. It promotes self-awareness by highlighting blind spots and providing an external perspective on our strengths and weaknesses.
2. Identification of Areas for Improvement: Feedback helps us pinpoint specific aspects of our work or behavior that may need attention. Identifying areas for improvement helps define targeted efforts to enhance our skills and capabilities.
3. Validation of Strengths: Positive feedback reinforces our strengths and successes, boosting confidence and motivation. Recognizing and building on strengths is integral to personal development, as it fosters a sense of accomplishment and empowerment.
4. Enhanced Adaptability: Constructive feedback encourages us to adapt to changing circumstances and adopt new approaches. It promotes a growth mindset, where challenges are seen as opportunities for learning and improvement.
5. Professional Growth: Regular feedback contributes to continuous learning and development. It helps us stay relevant in our roles, acquire new skills, and progress in our careers.
6. Goal Alignment: Feedback helps us align our personal and professional goals with organizational objectives. It ensures that efforts are directed toward achieving desired outcomes and contributes to a sense of purpose and fulfillment.
7. Increased Accountability: Receiving feedback fosters a sense of accountability for our actions. We become more responsible for our performance and take ownership of our development.

Other Resources

1. HBR: How to Give (And Receive) Critical Feedback
   https://hbr.org/2023/06/how-to-give-and-receive-critical-feedback
2. HBR: Why Feedback Rarely Does What It’s Meant To Do
   https://hbr.org/2019/03/the-feedback-fallacy
3. HBR: What Good Feedback Really Looks Like
   https://hbr.org/2019/05/what-good-feedback-really-looks-like
4. Forbes: The Art of Delivering Constructive Feedback
   https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2023/02/09/the-art-of-delivering-constructive-feedback/
5. Forbes: Why Asking for Feedback Can Be the Key to Success
   https://www.forbes.com/sites/hollycorbett/2022/02/28/why-asking-for-feedback-can-be-a-key-to-success/
6. TED Talk: The Secret to Giving Great Feedback
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtl5UrrgU8c
7. Radical Candor Resources
   https://www.radicalcandor.com/resources/