Delivering Feedback Successfully
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"The greatest gift you can give to someone is honest and constructive feedback."
Ken Blanchard
One of the most important traits of a good leader is providing good feedback to team members to help them improve their skills and work to their best productivity, but it’s one of the hardest roads to navigate and not every leader gets it right. The differences between the personalities in your team can be huge and not every person likes to receive feedback. Some may always see it as criticism, and if the deliverer gets it wrong to this type of person, it can be counterproductive and damaging.
In most cases, people look to progress in an industry rather than stay in the same role forever and it is sometimes forgotten that as part of this development, it is essential for leaders to recognise areas of growth in individuals and work with them to improve and develop. In my role as a Leadership Coach, many of my clients find this a tough area to manage correctly.
So, let’s have a look at what you can do, as leaders, to help make sure that the delivery of feedback hits the right note, is well-received and is implemented by the individual? Here are some easy steps to getting this right:
Pick the Right Time
It’s important that feedback is received in the tone and manner that it is intended. Catching a person when they are in their best receiving mode can mean the difference between it being taken on board and put into practice or being a complete waste of time. Commonly, this kind of discussion would happen in a 1-2-1 environment so ask the question, “I have some feedback for you on X that I think you would find useful in improving your performance, is now a good time to discuss it?”
Give them the chance to say yes or no and if it’s a no, which could be due to personal reasons, mood, energy, workload etc, make a point of arranging a time which could work better and then check in again when you reconvene.
Make it a Regular Occurrence
Feedback should be part of the ongoing dialogue between you and your team members. Good feedback as well as constructive feedback. If it becomes the norm, employees expect it and are less likely to shy away from it or become defensive. Regular 1-2-1 meetings with individuals should be presented as a time to talk through how things are going with a commitment for the leader to also offer something back, either recognition of great work performed or, if there are challenges, some constructive feedback on how things could be improved. If people are used to it and it’s delivered correctly, it will be recognised as part of their development.
Be Prepared
Don’t go in blind or you could come across vague or tactless and create conflict. Make sure you plan your feedback for each individual. Think about the best way to deliver it, the words to use, and anticipate different reactions so you can prepare how to deal with them. Don’t assume all feedback will be well received, no matter how well it is delivered so prepare for the worst, just in case. If it becomes too heated, recognise when to walk away and plan a time to come together again once the dust has settled.
Be Specific
The best way to deliver feedback in a way that will be received well is to focus on specific behaviours, or actions. Instead of making general or vague statements, provide concrete examples of what the person did well or where they can improve. This will help the recipient understand what is expected of them and what they need to do to improve. Also, using specific examples can help to keep the feedback objective and reduce the risk of it being perceived as personal criticism.
Encourage 2-Way Feedback
In order to build an environment of trust and respect, invite your employees to feed back to you too. This can be the most difficult part of it depending on how you also receive criticism, and your team may not put as much thought into the delivery as you would, but making sure your team feel heard and respected, and taking on board feedback from them, will help them feel valued and safe.
Feedback is essential for the performance of a business by helping to develop, nurture and grow your employees so that they can perform at their best and feel valued. It can be an intimidating process in the role of a leader, but essentially, if the feedback is delivered well, people would ultimately prefer to have these conversations than feel ignored and not really understand their role or how well they are doing. I support my clients by showing them that regular feedback is important, and 2-way feedback for you, making it the norm for people to expect a pat on the back where deserved but also some constructive advice when they could improve. It’s not criticism if it’s delivered well and promotes growth so leaders, don’t avoid it or fear it. Just make sure it’s planned and delivered at the right time, in the right way and with the right intentions and you will hopefully see your team and performance thrive.
If you’d like some further coaching on improving your leadership skills and delivering great feedback, let’s talk. Fortem Coaching can help you build your confidence as a leader so you feel empowered to guide them in a positive way. Book a free 30-minute coaching consultation so I can help you gain greater clarity for your career path ahead. Book now for a FREE 30-minute consultation.