
One of the traits of achievement zone leaders is that they love receiving feedback. They use it to improve how they work and those around them.
As a manager, giving constructive feedback is an essential yet challenging aspect of the role. It can be tricky to manage the tension between helping your employee feel valued and providing them with the right resources to achieve success.
Expressing something that someone might not want to hear or that can deflate their confidence can be emotionally challenging.
Let's take a look at four steps you can take to make delivering guiding feedback easier and more effective - for both you and the receiver.
1. Build trust intentionally first - This seems like a no-brainer, but I find few leaders consciously think about how to build trust with their direct reports, in order to be able to give candid feedback.
Our brains are wired to protect us. Negative feedback is construed as a threat. If it is delivered in a way that makes an individual feel unsafe then they will shut down, get defensive or retreat.
People need to know that the person delivering the feedback has their best interests at heart.
This means if you haven't worked on the relationship to demonstrate your true intentions, people will question your bias and your preconceived notions.
Engage with each individual to understand their strengths and to help them uncover their value. Focus on bringing their best self to work, as a whole person (not just as an employee). Tangibly show that you care about their wellbeing and their career development.
Undertaking one-on-one's regularly where they are in the driver's seat is critical. This must be done in advance before delivering difficult feedback, so that your report is more likely to trust your motives.
2. Adopt a Coaching Mindset - Coaching requires understanding each individual and helping them to work out what to do. This means not jumping into providing recommendations or suggestions.
Fundamentally, it involves empathising with a person's challenges on a task. It also means not jumping to conclusions about any unwanted behaviours they are displaying. It could be that these behaviours are symptoms of something else they are struggling with either at work or in their personal life. Your job is to sit down with them and figure it out what the issue is so you can do something about it.
David Yeager offers valuable insights into delivering effective constructive criticism in his latest book, "10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People."
Instead of beginning your critique with praise, initiate by stating that you intend to explore how your employee can enhance their performance and that you're providing direct feedback because you believe they can improve with appropriate guidance.
Rather than delving into what you believed happen, you provide a brief summary of the issue and ask for their perspective. Asking questions such as:
This is what I’ve noticed, and this is the impact I think it’s having. Let’s talk about it.”
This allows room for introspection and encourages them to engage actively in their own self-assessment. Paving the way for them to practise healthier internal dialogue that enables them to review their own performance.
It also gives you important information about how they think and process information, so that you can adapt your leadership style and communication approach with them.
3. Partner in their Growth - Let them know that learning new skills is crucial for achieving their potential and that you view yourself as a partner in their growth.
Provide your report with the opportunity to brainstorm some ideas of what they would do next or where they believe they need help.
Ask the question:
This ensures that they have some buy-in to improving, but also encourages them to think about what needs to be done rather than relying on your help. It also provides you with important information on any capability gaps, so you can provide them better guidance.
Make sure you are neutral and encouraging in your reactions to any wrong information. Give them time to speak and avoid recriminations of any kind. Gently guide them on the best way - asking more questions on how they can do it, rather than telling them. Give them some autonomy in how they do it.
You also want to show them that you are on their side, by asking how you can help them improve. An example is:
When you focus on the achievement of collective results, and how you want to work with them to improve, it avoids individuals being distracted by the need to protect themselves and their own self-promoting agenda.
It also demonstrates that you are holding both of you accountable to their success. They aren't alone to figure it out. Ensuring that collaboration, innovation and sharing is important to your team.
This approach also enhances your interactions with your direct reports, as the feedback is framed constructively rather than destructively.
4. Focus on the future - Marshall Goldsmith, a famed executive coach, talks about feedback being in the past and the need to reframe it so that it's in the future. This is easier for our brains to accept. He terms it feedforward.
Now that you have identified what needs improvement, encourage them to summarise what they are going to do. Ask:
This ensures that we know if they understood what we talked about, but also gets them to put their thoughts together and get clear on the solution.
Apply these steps to foster a culture where each mistake becomes an opportunity to demonstrate our ability to bounce back from setbacks and progress consistently toward success.
If you want to learn about how to master these skills, join my Leadership Mastermind. And if you're in Melbourne, come along to my next Achievement Zone Leaders event.
One of the traits of achievement zone leaders is that they love receiving feedback. They use it to improve how they work and those around them.
You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers.You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions.