How do you use feedback from multiple sources to improve performance?

Identifying your goals and criteria is essential for visualising the path ahead. However, an important aspect which is often forgotten, is to also detail what hurdles and challenges you may face in trying to achieve these goals. Is there something that could impact the timeline? Something that threatens the goal all together? If so, what is your plan to over come this? Having all of these aspects in mind will help set a clear action plan with tailored timelines. It also means you are more likely to succeed in achieving your goals as you have preempted and partially solved any issues you have identified. Being prepared and armed with information is key.

What I found important is to first build a culture of transparency and safety, with a purpose driven approach, building a sense of ownership. This means creating an environment where everyone feels comfortable sharing their thoughts and ideas, without fear of judgment or retaliation. I also make sure that the feedback process is fair and equitable, and that everyone's voice is heard. This ensures that everyone knows what we are working towards and how their individual contributions matter. The goals must be understood and achievable, otherwise there will not be real support from the team.

Using a SWOT diagram can also prove useful in such processes. Traditionally a project method, SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunitites, Threats) is used as a method for projects to plan better ahead. The technique can also help serve individuals in their search for answers or the "right path". Structuring information in accordance with the SWOT is really useful to get an overview, and it can inspire you to think of angels and strategies that you did not think of before.

An executive coach can be very useful to gather 360-degree feedback. Coaches often do 360s as part of a kick off engagement with new clients, so they have experience doing them. Coaches are also independent, so they can collate and anonymize feedback. People providing feedback may be more forthcoming to share frank feedback with a coach than with someone directly.

I agree that 360-degree feedback is a valuable tool for getting feedback from multiple sources. However, I do believe that it is important to get feedback from employees at different levels, down to the ones who are at the "shopfloor" level. These employees are often the ones who are most directly affected by the goals and objectives of the organization, and their feedback can be invaluable in ensuring that the goals are meaningful and understandable at all levels. In my experience, I have found that it is most effective to have a dialog with employees at different levels. This allows me to get their feedback in a more personal and in-depth way and make a more complete picture of how the goals are being perceived and understood.

When you look at the feedback and identify patterns that point to opportunities to improve, also look at the changes or adaptations that can be made efficiently and without big disruption to colleagues or work routines. Changes from feedback that fuels productivity will allow the process to be seen as effective and also foster an environment where feedback is a great tool to be better as a team. Getting real feedback is a gift, and implementing it for the better of the organization can be a greater return when it integrates with your culture and provides more open communication on the team. Good luck!

Honest feedback is gold. It can help improve performance and reach goals, but it should be addressed as soon as possible so that actions can be taken. I understand that feedback can be done through surveys, which can be more data-driven. However, I believe that feedback is most effective when it is personal and done face-to-face. This creates trust and gives more credibility to management, who are sincerely seeking for understanding and provide better support.

When setting a strategy and giving a direction to targets with a team, it is essential to break down the action plan in accountable and mesurable tasks. From my experience, a manager should never consider tasks and actions as obvious or that his own expectations are naturally lisible. A manager must : provide the target, the expected date and, like in OKR methods : explain how the result will be mesured. I generally expect from my team to provide a quarterly action plan reflecting the path to expected results and targets.

An action plan must be done in a work group, with the team, having a common agreement of what/how/when, and leave the room supporting the actions that are agreed upon. This ensures that everyone is on the same page and that the action plan is realistic and achievable. The action plan should be monitored and evaluated regularly to ensure that it is on track. If the plan is not working, it should be adjusted as needed, so making it part of regular meetings helps to ensure one is on-track.

It is always easier said than done. But an action plan will not just allow you to track your plan and work to bridge the gap but also keep refining it as and when needed. But don't just create a plan for the sake of it, implement it too.

Communication is key to the feedback process. It needs to be regular and ongoing. If leaders do not take feedback seriously and do not follow up, we can expect the team to do the same. There must be an active channel to motivate people to give feedback. Once they see that it works and that they are heard, it will become natural for them to give feedback.

By getting multiple feedback sources, people are able to see ideas from differing perspectives, allowing them to identify the best progressive steps in a project, or the best way to change course in a career. When those differing views are taken into consideration, people can adapt their own views without suffering from too much unconscious bias.