What are the best practices for feedback and coaching in a team setting?

I have personally experienced that Feedforward works much better than feedback. It is the reverse exercise of feedback. In simple terms, it means focusing on the future instead of the past. This shifts the focus from "what went wrong" to "how can we improve" and bring total positivity.

In my experience, Feedback is an act of kindness. We all have blindspots (which we can't see, but some other people can); only when I am made aware of my blindspots, can I do something about it. Having said that giving feedback comes with its own risks for the giver - the relationship may get spoiled, the receiver could get offensive, get defensive, can argue, and many more such risks. Despite these risks, when the giver chooses to give feedback, it is from a space of kindness. Because they know that the feedback can help the person - correct, grow, become better. Feedback matters because it opens a window for the receiver which was never there, it opens an opportunity to do better, to be better, and to contribute.

Feedback is never about telling someone what they're doing wrong. It's about understanding their perspective, highlighting their strengths, and guiding them towards improvement. Let's discuss, discover, and grow together!

Ego must be removed from the interaction. Guard must be down, or tactically brought down. With absence of ego influence, the bigger picture in sight and obstacles targeted, each understands the position of the other, coming from a place of authenticity. Clarity and absence of emotional influence are critical.

During my time serving in United States Marine Corps I learned that strict adherence to rules & regulations is drilled into the 'Marine Collective Unconscious' with a purpose. In the private sector, however, this purpose is often influenced by a variety of factors. Therefore, great managers, supervisors, team leaders, etc. foster learning and development in a professional environment...consistently, uniformly. Great Leaders provide meaningful feedback that influences, wins and motivates the hearts and minds of others.

To give a constructive feedback, put yourself in other person’s shoes. Remember, your only reason to provide feedback is to help that person grow. It should reflect in your tone and words. Explain them how your feedback will help them. If you care enough about other person and communicate that, the chances of them accepting and working on feedback are high.

I think constructive feedback is essential to your professional development. Take the time to get to know your colleague, understand how they like to receive feedback and be conscious of the words and tone in which you are delivering the feedback. Don't generalise, be specific and offer support.

Service to many leads to greatness said Jim Rohn... I remember my first corned beef hash sandwich as a kid. In professional environments, I've found peace in the saying "a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down." One of my mentors over 20 plus years calls it "Kiss, Kick, Kiss," with a goal to sandwich the sour in the midst of some sweet, sustaining, honest compliments. Before you approach and speak, ask yourself, "did I pick the right bread for this person's taste? Do I have the condiments they like?" After all, real feedback should serve all stakeholders current and future, including the subject needing constructive criticism.

Empathy is key in giving and receiving constructive feedback. We need to accept and understand that each one on the team comes from a different personal and professional background and approaches things differently. It's important to have an ear before speaking and being empathetic in a collaborative setting.

A common issues I see with people planning to give feedback is that they include too much information, and they attempt to both coach, and feedback. This leads to a diluted message. Identify the core of your feedback, possibly by considering what your intention is, and then exemplify one behavior. It's better to get one feedback across properly and see that develop the person or your relationship, than to have multiple feedback points just lead to nothing. Empathy, though, is key.

Just listen. Seriously. If you disagree, say thanks, and listen. You can always discard the feedback later. You don't have to change because you listen. And challenging the feedback giver in the transaction isn't going to magically make things better. So listen, and try to listen for the seed. When you disagree, because that's what most people get stuck in, you can ask the person for clarification "I need your help better understanding, can you provide another example". Or guess "I'm guessing <situation x> is what you're referring to. Is that so?" and that will help add additional context. But separate between feedback intake, decision to change, and behavioral coaching. And a feedback conversation is always, only about the first.

Every day is a school day no matter how expert you are you are never too expert to learn anything and that includes learning from mistakes.

Interjecting or defending yourself while receiving feedback can muddy the waters of communication. Focusing on the feedback and trying to understand it should be your main goal—ask questions if you need. I’ve found it helpful to take the feedback and say that you’ll think on it. If there is additional discussion you can bring it up again at a later date.

Bruce Lee said he didn't consider himself a master because the idea of mastery means you are finished learning and you can only be finished learning when you are finished living. This form of humility from someone clearly at the top of their game reminds me to remain humble. No matter how smart, fast, strong, or successful you are.. there is room for improvement and there is always someone who can edge you out. Compete against yourself, better yourself. How can you get 1% better today? In 100 days, you will be 100% better!

In my experience, it helps to remember that high performers proactively ask for feedback. Critical feedback can always be a bit difficult to receive, but if you orient to your vision of being a high performer, it helps put the feedback in context.

Setting the tone with goal setting is key - ensuring goals are rooted in organizational, role-specific and individual/professional goals. Then, being able to check in regularly on those is important. I do believe we empower (versus micromanage) by using prompts and questions to build ownership and accountability and support when needed. One of my favorite questions is "What roadblocks can I help remove for you so that you can be successful?"

When coaching, it's important for leaders to understand whether or not the situation calls for accountability coaching or developmental coaching. If you're using accountability coaching when the situation calls for developmental coaching, you may get a short-term improvement. However, when developmental coaching is called for and applied, it creates a breakthrough for the person being coached, resulting in a permanent shift to their performance because they discovered for themselves how they were getting in the way of their highest performance.

In team environments, which I lead in many, I have realized you can speak one way to a group in third person and should never direct any negatives towards a person in a group setting. Doing so ostracizes that person and can divide the group forcing people to pick a side. This will create a toxic environment 10 times out of 10 and in the end, nobody wins. Instead, deliver tough to hear, direct news one-to-one, and allow yourself space to meet people where they are Some people need you to be more stern with them while others need more TLC. Neither person is better than the other, but it is important to know people 'differences in personality types and give become a chameleon mirroring their needs to bring the best out of them.

In my experience, coaching is most effective if it is consistent. Scheduling time to coach can be difficult for busy managers, but short consistent coaching sessions are better than longer infrequent coaching.

One thing I've found helpful is to allow your team to practice. When I coach leaders or do workshops, we spend some time on role playing. I provide scenarios and also invite them to come to the table with an actual situation they've experienced. This allows them to practice in real time- so valuable.

In addition to all these important ideas, my experience has taught me that giving permission to the group participants to read their personal communication "do's and don't" directly from a Communication Style and Behavioral Strengths DISC Report is a powerful way to share communication preferences with a team. This allows the participants to share information that they may not feel comfortable talking about without all having their own Communication Style and Behavioral Strengths DISC Report. The DISC concept has always been instrumental in "opening the doors of communication" and communicating with honesty and a shared goal is a great way to boost team work by having a shared language... The DISC jargon. In support of your success!

Find what works best for the majority of your team, as seeking to please everyone will end up with you pulling your hair out. Majority rules and voting has worked the best for me over the years, presenting options, allowing a voice, and also allowing others to present other options. This way, the team owns the process and therefore the product it yields, i.e. a healthy and happy team culture/environment that produces through caring about people and processes.

I find that it is really helpful to ask the recipient if they are open to receiving feedback even if feedback is expected in the situation. For example: ask directly, "Are you open to receiving feedback?" That simple question asking permission goes a very long way toward goodwill.