Feedback is essential for any successful partnership, but how often should you provide it to your partners? In this article, we will explore some factors that influence the frequency and quality of feedback, and how you can use it to improve your collaboration and results.
Feedback is the process of sharing information, opinions, and suggestions about the performance and expectations of a partnership. It can help you and your partners align your goals, identify strengths and weaknesses, resolve issues, and celebrate achievements. Feedback can also foster trust, transparency, and accountability, which are key for long-term partnership success.
Giving and asking for feedback is the best way to communicate and align with your partners. With our clients debriefing after marketing campaigns or implemented projects turned out to be the best way to give and get feedback.
There is no single answer to how often you should provide feedback to your partners, as it depends on various factors, such as the type and duration of the partnership, the level of communication and interaction, and the preferences and needs of both parties. However, some general guidelines are to give feedback regularly but not too frequently. Too much feedback can be overwhelming or demotivating, while too little can lead to confusion or missed opportunities. Aim for providing feedback at least once a month or more if there are significant changes, challenges, or milestones. Additionally, give feedback timely but not too hastily; share it as soon as possible after an event, action, or outcome while it is still fresh and relevant. When giving feedback, ensure it is based on facts but also include your feelings, opinions, and expectations so that your perception and satisfaction with the partnership is reflected. Avoid giving feedback when you are emotional, angry, or stressed as it can impair your judgment and communication. Take some time to calm down and prepare your feedback.
As often as you can. Don’t spend too much time on it, try to see it as a iterative process and focus on the essential. Try not to give to much information at once. Also give feedback in a specific context discussing facts and your perspective without appreciating the quality of the person or the act. Eg. When we worked on the logo design you asked clarification questions and presented a mood board first and that helped us decide on a direction VS I like how we worked together, you are a good designer.
Giving feedback effectively is just as important as giving it often. The way you communicate your feedback can determine how your partners receive, react to, and act on it. To do so constructively, give feedback that is intended to help your partners improve their performance and achieve their goals. It should be specific, actionable, and balanced, highlighting both the positive and negative aspects of the partnership. When giving feedback, be clear, honest, and respectful. Address the issues and concerns without beating around the bush or sugarcoating the truth. Acknowledge the perspective and feelings of your partners and invite them to share their feedback as well. Make sure to collaborate with your partners to find solutions and action plans rather than unilaterally telling them what to do.
Give feedback only when it is asked or needed. Check first if people want your feedback and make sure you both agree to improve your collaboration or the other person agrees that there is something to improve. Ask for consent first. Plus be as objective as possible. Talk about facts and your perspective. Avoid giving advice or draw conclusions and present the other person with facts or your needs and perspective.
Feedback is a two-way street, and you need to be open and ready to receive feedback from your partners. This can help you learn from your mistakes, improve your performance, and strengthen your partnership. To receive feedback gracefully, it is important to do so positively, but not defensively. Evaluate the feedback critically, but not cynically. Lastly, take a proactive approach to the feedback, rather than a reactive one. This means thanking your partners for their feedback, asking questions for clarification, setting goals and making plans to address the feedback, monitoring progress and measuring results. All of this will help you create an environment that encourages positive change and improvement in your partnership performance.
Gracefully say thank you and clarification questions. Any feedback is good feedback - it says something about the perspective of the other person. That perspective is real and true. You don’t have to agree with that perspective.
Feedback is not only about giving and receiving, but also about measuring and improving. Measuring feedback involves assessing the impact and effectiveness of your feedback on partnership performance and satisfaction. Doing so can help you track progress, identify gaps, and adjust your feedback accordingly. To measure feedback, you can use quantitative and qualitative indicators such as revenue, profit, market share, or customer satisfaction. You can also use benchmarks and standards like competitors, peers, best practices, goals, objectives, or agreements. Additionally, feedback loops and cycles can provide feedback and improvement for your partnership. These are continuous and iterative processes of collecting, analyzing, and acting on feedback or periodic reviews of feedback and performance.
I find it hard to measure feedback. It’s always a part of the process and if done right it improves communication, builds trusts and builds better performing partnerships or teams.