Mastering Feedback

They say that feedback is the breakfast of champions. I think it’s true. We all need feedback. Feedback can help us to reflect, realign, and change. Positive feedback encourages us to continue the path we’re traveling. Negative feedback (what I refer to as constructive feedback) can help us change our path. Human beings need feedback.

Our society is filled with rules, regulations, and laws. We humans need to know where the line in the sand is. What’s acceptable and unacceptable. Appropriate and inappropriate. Right and Wrong. It doesn’t mean we will always honor that line in the sand, but we still like to know where it is.

It’s the same in the world of work. We expect our leaders to give us feedback—both positive and constructive. Giving feedback is part of the leader’s job. When we get feedback, we may reject it. But we still expect it.

How often are you giving your team members feedback? Is it daily, weekly, monthly, or do you save it up for the performance review? We worry about how feedback will be received, particularly constructive feedback. That’s understandable. But if we don’t give any feedback, how will we train our team members to accept it? Besides, how do we know with any confidence that it won’t be accepted the way it’s intended? Start with positive feedback., Get into the habit of giving regular feedback.

Remember this: Feedback could simply mean saying thank you to somebody. You don’t have to down tools for 45-minutes to give somebody feedback. It can be done on the run. It’s not time consuming. People want it, and they expect it.

I’m not a supporter of the performance review. I wrote a book in 2013 called The End of the Performance Review: A New Approach to Appraising Employee Performance.[i] That should tell you something about my attitude to performance reviews! The performance review can stifle feedback. Managers can be tempted to save their feedback up for this event. But once or twice a year is probably too late. It’s better than nothing, but it’s too late. The feedback loses its impact. That’s why I want to encourage you to give regular feedback.

Of course, it’s one thing to give feedback, it’s another for the feedback to be impactful. There’s a relationship between being receptive to feedback and having respect for the person conveying the feedback. The higher the respect for the leader the more receptive the employee is to the feedback. On the other hand, if your team member doesn’t respect you then it’s likely that the feedback will fall on deaf ears. Respect is important for the feedback process to be effective.

Establishing clear and consistent expectations can led to respect. Managing expectations is complex, however. It sounds simpler than it is. Was there a teacher you respected when you were at school? I’ll guarantee that they were good at managing expectations. Young people need to know the boundaries. So do employees.

This is an extract from my latest book, Mastering Feedback: A Practical Guide for Better Leadership Conversations.

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Dr Tim Baker is a thought leader in leadership development and performance management, best selling author, and international consultant. having consulted across 21 industries over 18 years, Tim has discovered what makes people tick. To find out more, go to WINNERS-at-WORK Pty Ltd.

[i] Baker, T.B. (2013). The End of the Performance Review: A New Approach to Appraising Employee Performance. London: Palgrave Macmillan.