How Leaders can Unleash Employee Potential: The Power of giving Feedback

In the pursuit of organizational success, researchers have delved deep into the realm of employee performance, uncovering invaluable insights on how to increase productivity and drive growth.?At the heart of this exploration, lies a prevailing belief: the key to unleashing the untapped potential within organizations lies in the adoption of a frequent, supportive and constructive feedback.

Feedback, in its essence, is a valuable stream of information derived from past actions, serving as a compass to navigate future actions.?It is through feedback that we learn, grow and change.?As leaders, it is our responsibility to create a culture that values and embraces feedback at all organizational levels.??

Let’s imagine a manager who observes the performance of a junior team member during a client presentation.?They can provide specific feedback, highlighting strengths such as confident body language and clear explanations. They can also address areas for improvement, such as the need of a more client-centric language.?

Together with the team member the manager can set the goal of enhancing the performance, for instance, by incorporating story telling in the presentation.?Moreover, the manager can identify relevant training resources for the team member to elevate their presentation skills.

With time, the employee can actively engage in practice sessions, incorporating the feedback received, while the manager continues to observe the team member’s presentation skills during client interactions.?As the team member demonstrates progress when presenting to clients, the line manager provides recognition.

Feedback allows employees to track their progress and make timely adjustments where and when needed.?Moreover, it fuels their desire to learn and achieve the results they strive for.??

Having said this, in my experience as an executive coach I have observed that not every leader feels comfortable when it comes to providing direct feedback on the areas of strength and improvement in their team members’ performance.?Instead of creating an environment where feedback is a common practice, they wait until the annual 360? evaluation to share such valuable information. ?

?Unfortunately, this approach hinders the development and growth of individuals and teams within organizations.?Moreover, it can result in employees being left unaware of their performance shortcomings until the end of the first year on the job, restricting their chances of advancement and professional growth.

In this article we are going to explore in more depth what giving feedback entails and how it can be delivered effectively, enabling employees to unlock their potential.

WHAT ARE THE MODELS OF FEEDBACK?

There are different models that can be used to provide effective feedback and that can offer a unique framework to enhance employee performance. ??Here, we explore in more depth three commonly used model:

The Pendleton Model

The Pendleton model provides a framework for structuring meaningful and supportive conversations where the person receiving feedback is encouraged to identify goals and action plans through a process called “reflection for actions”.?

This type of approach provides opportunities for reflection not only on the positive aspects of the performance but also on those areas that can be improved.??

Let’s imagine a scenario where a manager in the marketing department, John, gives feedback to one of his team members, Sarah.?Here’s an example of how their dialogue could be structured:

1.????Opening and setting the tone

John: Hey Sarah, I wanted to give you some feedback on how you managed our recent marketing campaign.?

Sarah: Sure! Let’s discuss it.

2.????Inviting reflections on areas of success and areas for improvement

John: what do you think you did well in designing the social media campaign? And what do you think you could improve?

3.????Team member’s self-assessment and own evaluation of performance

Sarah: I focused on creating content that was informative, entertaining and sharable, which I believe helped enhance the overall engagement and reach of our campaign. On the other hand, while I ensured I monitored the campaign’s performance, I think I can improve by diving deeper into the data and analysing key metrics.

4.????Manager’s further comments and highlighted areas for improvement

John: I agree with you that the content you created was highly impactful. ?When it comes to monitoring the performance of the campaign, I believe you did an excellent job too. What I see as an area of improvement, is drafting a call to action that encourages our audience to engage more with our content and creates sense of community around our brand.?How do you think you could do it differently?

5.????Team member proposed action points

?Sarah: to enhance the effectiveness of our call to action, I could focus on using strong verbs and compelling phrases, so that we create a sense of urgency and excitement.?To achieve this, I can also incorporate incentives and rewards such as discounts, giveaways and access to premium contents.

As we can see, the Pendleton model transforms feedback into a genuine exchange of information and promotes transparency between the two parties involved.?

Moreover, it empowers the receiving employee to take the lead in self-reflection, while enabling the feedback provider, whether a manager or a team member, to transition to the role of a supportive coach.?

Start, Stop, Continue Model

The Start, Stop, Continue model is a popular feedback approach that involves identifying what an individual or a team needs to start doing, stop doing and continue doing.

This type of model allows both the feedback giver and receiver to focus on three distinctive categories by using a set of guiding questions.

Let’s consider a scenario in which a team leader directly asks their team members to give feedback on how to improve participation in team meetings.?Here are the guiding questions that can be used during the conversation:

Start

What steps can I/we start taking to improve participation in team meetings?

What specific actions can I/we initiate to ensure I/we improve engagement and active involvement in team meetings? ?

Stop

Which behaviors or actions do I/we need to stop to improve participation in team meetings?

What specific changes can I/we make to eliminate any obstacle or barriers to active engagement?

Continue

What specific actions have been effective in improving participation in team meetings that I/we should continue doing?

How can I/we further strengthen and build upon these actions?

By utilizing these guiding questions, we are not only prompted to analyze our current patterns of thinking, actions and habits but also encouraged to make the necessary changes for continuous improvement.?

This reflective feedback process empowers leaders and teams to identify areas of growth, eliminate ineffective behaviors, and reinforce successful actions, ultimately fostering a culture of active participation and continuous learning.

The Sandwich technique

The sandwich technique entails starting and ending with positive observations, with constructive information "sandwiched" in between. ?The purpose of the sandwich feedback is to provide constructive comments in a supportive manner, balancing it with genuine praise.?This approach helps maintain an encouraging and motivating environment while still addressing areas that require improvement.

While this method can be effective in everyday situations, it is important to note that if it is consistently used, its impact may diminish. The recipient of the feedback may start anticipating the "but" in the middle of the sentence. Therefore, it is crucial to provide standalone positive feedback whenever appropriate to acknowledge and support our co-workers consistently.

Let’s consider again the scenario between John, marketing manager, and Sarah, team member.?Here is an example of how their conversation may be structured:

Manager starts with positive observations when giving feedback to his team member:

1.????John: Sarah, I want to start by highlighting the exceptional job you did in crafting the social media campaign.?Your creative ideas and use of language really stood out. The way you curated the content and used captivating visuals was impressive.

2.????Manager includes constructive information in the middle of the conversation:

John: now, if I may move on to the constructive feedback, I noticed a few areas where you can enhance the campaign effectiveness.?Let’s focus on improving the call-to-action in the posts. While the content was engaging, incorporating a clear and competing call-to-action will help engage a larger audience.

3.????Manager finishes with positive observations:

John: having said this, I want to emphasize the great effort you put into this campaign.?Going forward, let’s work together to enhance the call-to-action and continue elevate your skills in crafting impactful social media campaigns.

Remember, the sandwich technique is one of the ways of providing feedback.?Ultimately, it is crucial that organization create an environment where daily acknowledgement and appreciation of team members’ efforts take place.

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR GIVING FEEDBACK?

As an executive coach, I often challenge the common misconception that feedback solely flows from managers to their direct reports.?Feedback is a two-way street.?Through our professional journey, we not only receive feedback from our line managers, colleagues and clients, but we also have the responsibility to provide feedback to our managers and team members. ?It is worth noting that in professional settings, the term “upward feedback” specifically refers to the feedback given to leaders or line managers by their team members.

When it comes to upward feedback, it is usually given anonymously to create a safe and non-threatening environment.?Anonymity removes barriers such as power dynamics or apprehension about potential repercussion.

A feedback exchange that includes employees at all levels, fosters a culture of open communication and continuous growth within the organization, from senior leaders to junior employees.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD FEEDBACK BE GIVEN?

When leaders, managers and supervisors can create a working environment where their employees feel safe in giving and receiving valuable information about performance, feedback can become a weekly or even daily practice.?There is no need to institutionalize the giving and receiving of daily feedback, as it is done when it comes to the annual performance review or 360? evaluation.?It simply becomes an exercise employee engage in with the aim to learn and make adjustments.

As an executive coach, my role often revolves around exploring with clients the ways in which they can provide and receive timely and constructive feedback, while fostering a workplace culture that embraces feedback as an essential practice.

If you are a leader or line manager seeking to delve deeper into this topic, I invite you to book a complimentary chemistry call with me.?Let’s embark on a journey together by using the link below:?