What are some common challenges or barriers to performance improvement feedback?

Coaches in sports and leaders in business all want us to become better, but unfortunately, they often lack an understanding of "HOW." "You need to play better defense" was the feedback I used to get. But what does playing better defense actually mean? Here's what leaders/coaches need to start doing: 1. Be close to your opponent. 2. Prevent them from dribbling with their dominant hand. 3. Force them towards the sideline. 4. Close out on their shot and box them out. When there's a specific definition of goals, constructive feedback can be delivered, leading to improvement.

It’s not enough for you to be clear or understand what good looks like. If they don’t understand in their own mind then how will they get it done. We assume they know way more than most realise.

Coming from a professional sports world, it's simple: 1. The goals must be specific and measurable. To say I want to be a winning team is not good enough. I want to win 30 games this season and get into the finals is a different story. Now the team can calculate and focus on which games they can and must win. 2. When a coach says; "you need to play a better defense" what does that mean? This feedback doesn't help anyone, but saying you are too far from your defender, you let him shoot every time, you let him drive to his strong right hand...now you can work on things and improve ... 3.The championship teams I've been on had one thing in common, everyone understood their role and was utilizing their strengths to help the team win!

Use Behavioral Specificity: Instead of vague comments like "improve your communication," provide specific, behavior-focused feedback. For example, "During meetings, ensure to articulate your points more clearly and listen actively to others' inputs." This gives a clear direction. Use the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) framework when setting improvement targets. For instance, "Increase your sales conversions by 10% over the next quarter" is a SMART goal that provides clear, measurable objectives. Often, the clarity issue lies with those providing feedback. Training managers in giving clear, concise, and effective feedback can make a significant difference.

The first and most important is to be clear on the intention of the feedback shared. it should help others broaden their perspective, increase ability to see their blind spots, act on them and grow. If we aim to share our opinion or disappointment without considering the other person point of view, we definitely risk conflict. Feedback is a gift and we need to wrap it accordingly.

We all carry an amount of suppressed and conditioned fear and varying levels of sensitivity-depending upon the mix we can find it difficult because we are afraid of their disapproval and emotional withdrawal from us. We want them to accept us. In addition we can be clumsy with our words and tone etc - and easily trigger their fear and old pain (they are afraid of the same things). We have to lay some groundwork to help them see they aren’t under attack-without any guidance at all on how to do this we will often mess it up. Luckily we can learn how.

If the feedback is constructive and we leave our biases out of it, it always serves the value. Imagine a coach who sees that his players can do so much better but he doesn't say anything to them? That's selfish not thinking about the bigger picture. Feedback is the foundation of getting better and improving. Players can see only so much and can't spot their blind spots. We (athletes) often think we have reached our potential and the feedback and constructive criticism is what opens a door to elevate our game even higher. Without it, we get stagnant ...great coaches and leaders understand the importance and have no fear to share what they see. To add to it, great players always welcome it as it is for them to get better.

When team members feel safe to express themselves without fear of negative consequences, they are more likely to engage in constructive dialogues about performance. Use role-play exercises to simulate feedback situations. This can help individuals get accustomed to both giving and receiving feedback in a controlled, low-stakes environment. Introduce regular, less formal feedback mechanisms like weekly check-ins or monthly reviews. Frequent feedback can normalize the process and reduce the tension associated with it. Ensure that feedback is always focused on specific behaviors or objectives rather than personal traits. This makes the feedback feel less like a personal attack and more like constructive advice.

Many managers want to deliver positive news and avoid negative news. Don't do that. Everyone deserves to be told the truth, even if it is hard to hear.

Too often in my workplaces, feedback has been deprioritised when the pressures of the "day job" need met- the 1:1 check in will be the first meeting cancelled to free time for something else. This is especially dangerous, because as the pressure rises, the feedback drops, leaving the team floundering.

Give feedback close to when the event occurs instead of waiting for scheduled reviews. It will make it more relevant and actionable. Tailor the frequency of feedback to the individual. Some may benefit from more frequent feedback, while others might find it overwhelming. Use a personalized approach to find the right balance. Also, hold regular calibration meetings with leadership and managers to discuss and align on feedback approaches, ensuring consistency in timing and frequency across the organization.

Players and business leaders seek feedback often as they want to progress further daily. It's very individual though. Once every 2 weeks, I find works well for my clients. It gives them enough time to implement changes and reflect on them

This aspect of culture is so important and yet may be hard to articulate. The cadence, method, and ownership has to be clearly defined! If it’s spontaneous feedback (SF) the timing needs to be right- maybe we need to cool down, step away, or acknowledge “i have some SF feedback to share, are you in a mindset to receive?” Remember: FEEDBACK CAN BE AMAZING & POSITIVE, not always negative and “next time do this…”. While there is always room for improvement - if feedback comes from good intentions & a kind heart- it is a beautiful gift.

This is hugely important because it influences how they frame the conversation. You need to work hard to build the right environment so that these conversations are processed in a healthier way - it can also help managers while they learn how to do this well if you work on the environment at the same time.

One team -12 different egos, cultures, and backgrounds ( that's a pro basketball team ) An average coach uses the same approach for everyone, running the same offense year by year A good coach tries to understand every player and adjust accordingly A great coach makes sure he knows his players beyond the game and fits his offense around his players' strengths All my championship and medals won were in the teams where the coach took the time to get to know us on a personal lvl and cared about us not only as players but as human beings... we paid him back by delivering our top performance day in and day out... This all applies for the corporate world ??

Understanding different cultural backgrounds and communication styles is key to providing effective feedback in a diverse environment. For instance, in cultures that value indirect communication, it might be more effective to frame feedback in a more nuanced, less confrontational manner. Use role-playing exercises to practice giving and receiving feedback in culturally diverse scenarios. Use AI-driven feedback tools that can be customized to suit different cultural contexts. These tools can offer suggestions on wording, tone, and approach based on cultural preferences.

It takes time and tons of self-awareness is needed to be able to process feedback well. A good starting point is to always remind ourselves that the feedback is for us to learn and improve. The more feedback we get, the more value we start seeing in it. Pro athletes get feedback all the time so for me personally it feels odd when there is no feedback. For someone who has never received any feedback, he/she may get offended by it... I am a firm believer that feedback = an opportunity to get better

We often have huge expectations around this. We just assume that managers and leaders should and do give feedback well, we expect them to hold their teams accountable, and yet, we rarely teach them how. It takes time and work to develop these skills, although we can learn things to speed up the process for sure.

It should be hard built into your performance management and development planning process - there should be a requirement to develop both one’s willingness and responsibility to grow and develop which of course will include gathering outside feedback and information in order to grow. You should actually be able to assess how much responsibility people are taking for this, it should be hard coded in to the process and the process should naturally favour truth and responsibility over perception and manipulation.

I've noticed a unique parallel between sports and corporate feedback loops. In both worlds, success hinges on refining our internal feedback mechanisms. Just as athletes rely on muscle memory, managers can cultivate a "feedback memory" with actionable strategies, such as active listening and consistent follow-up. Feedback shouldn't be just a one-time exchange, but rather treating feedback as a learned skill, and reinforcing it over time.

If the foundation of trust is in place, the likelihood of success using each of these practices will increase exponentially.

Coming from the high-performance sports world, enhancing performance has two dimensions: 1) physical preparation and shape we are in (e.g. an overweight manager gets tired fast, has low energy which affects his mental state, makes bad decisions & doesn't control his emotions and temper ) 2) mental stability and self-awareness (e.g.: a lot of talented athletes don't come out cuz they can't cope with the pressure/expectations and stress. It applies in the biz world too. Before you can perform on a high level you have to address your "baggage" first ( fears, doubts, limiting beliefs... ) and understand yourself. Knowing what happens, when it happens and how to quickly get back to your positive & present self is the key.

Employees often make the mistake of only asking a limited number of "experts" for feedback, typically their manager and maybe a mentor. However, gathering feedback from a variety of sources such as internal or external customers, colleagues, and industry experts can provide a broader perspective. This approach can help minimize bias and lead to more accurate insights and conclusions.