How do you balance positive and critical feedback in your leadership development program?

A successful leadership development program hinges on providing positive reinforcement & constructive criticism. Here's how to strike the right balance to empower aspiring leaders with a clear vision for growth, 1. Cultivating a growth mindset by focusing on development, not judgement, & creating milestones. 2. Feedback sandwich i.e. start with context, focus on specific observations, offer suggests for improvement & end with encouragement. 3. Going beyond the feedback sandwich with strength-based development, self-reflection & 360-degree feedback. 4. Creating a safe space for feedback with psychological safety, open communication & focus on solutions. 5. Tailor feedback to individual personality/learning preferences.

Effective leadership involves a comprehensive approach that includes management training, leadership training, positive reinforcement, project management, constructive criticism, and feedback mechanisms. It fosters continuous learning and development, empowering individuals to excel and achieve common goals. This approach ensures efficient execution, recognition, and continuous refinement of strategies.

To sustain high performance over time, you cannot just focus on areas for improvement. You must also identify and amplify your strengths. Appreciative inquiry is a powerful tool to help you do just that.

To balance positive and critical feedback in leadership development, start feedback sessions by inviting self-reflection of strengths and opportunities. Acknowledge strengths. Be specific and objective in both praise and critique, focusing on behaviors and outcomes. Frame critical feedback as a development opportunity and pair it with actionable advice for improvement. Kim Scott’s Radical Candor provides a good framework. Encourage leaders to self-reflect on their performances and maintain a 5:1 ratio of positive to critical comments to keep the environment constructive. Provide regular feedback as part of routine growth, and tailor feedback to individual needs and personalities in a supportive atmosphere that values continuous improvement.

I think the key to Appreciate Inquiry is having a true spirit of curiosity, creating a safe environment to share, and asking open-ended questions that allow participants to fully express themselves. If done well, magic can happen.

Feedback is only useful if the person receiving it can learn something - otherwise it's just a comment. So saying 'that piece of work is great' is nice, but doesn't really have any meaning that the receiver can act on. Better to say 'that piece of work is great because...' And likewise for tougher feedback. 'That behaviour is unhelpful' is information, but not very useful. 'That behaviour is unhelpful because...' give useful information about the impact an individual is having. Anyone can give this level of feedback to anyone else 'That behaviour is unhelpful because... In future I need you to ...' is even better, as it establishes an expectation of change. Only a manager, or more senior member of an organisation can offer this.