The Power of Feedback at Work

Feedback. The gift that hits like a year-old holiday fruitcake but builds leaders proactively with a careful balance of positive and critical development growth “serum.” Sometimes it hits hard, because it isn’t what we want to hear but what we need to hear. Sometimes it is because the people we rely on for feedback take the proverbial high road, failing to take the critical — and sometimes uncomfortable — step of initiating the process. Consider the following exchange:

CEO: I am so tired of hearing about [INSERT RECIPIENT HERE]. They have had five years to get their act together, and they still do [INSERT BAD BEHAVIOR HERE]. How do they not know what they are doing is wrong?

Advisor: I couldn’t agree more. What did they say when you gave them this feedback?

CEO: Well, they had performance reviews. I’m sure it came up then.

Advisor: So, you don’t know if it came up? I also don’t think this was something that needed to wait until a formal performance review. What was their response?

CEO: You know, they should just know that it is bad to do that …

Advisor: So, you had a performance review, and you said nothing. OK, what about the big bonuses you gave out this year? Did they get a big check, or did you dock the check?

CEO: Well, everyone got a big bonus check. I mean, we collectively had a great year.

Advisor: So, did you talk with them offline and tell them how bad this was?

CEO: I really need to. It is just so important. Maybe we’ll send out a global email to all the managers to get them focused on not doing this anymore.

So, rather than proactively deal with bad behavior, the solution is to provide global feedback to an audience who likely will be perplexed, or even perturbed, that they are being called out for a bad behavior that only one person has exhibited. Sounds like an effective management solution.

Check

Feedback process avoided! At least everyone got a big bonus, including the main culprit of bad behavior. 

Checkmate

Everyone loses in the end.

It is an important note that feedback shouldn’t be reserved for these awkward encounters. It is likely that teams are doing amazing things every day, but because positive things are expected (“Isn’t that what they get a paycheck for?”), catching people doing things right isn’t nearly as nearly as natural. It seems as if acknowledging good behavior and performance is reserved for curing cancer or achieving world peace. 

A feedback-rich culture cannot be created overnight. There is a significant amount of trust that comes with the process. For instance, feedback cannot be perceived as a case of “gotcha” or even the linchpin that is applied in cases of compensation. There should be connective tissue on rewards and recognition, but if the only time an individual hears feedback (particularly of the negative variety) is during yearly bonus dispensation, leaders risk undermining the process and breeding internal resentment. 

Additionally, if someone only hears positive feedback all year, they might be shocked when they are hit in the wallet for some perceived behavioral knock. Feedback is a process, and it’s one of the most important tools in the talent development cycle.

Plus & Delta Balance Frequently

Nobody can live on a diet of straight sugar (contrary to my five-year-old’s belief). Similarly, daily flogging may create an amazing callus, but negativism breeds contempt, cynicism and more negativism. There has to be a balance to the feedback, and it has to be regular. 

Once-a-year performance reviews are simply not enough. Additionally, that frequency creates a tense environment that often looks like this: “Remember seven months ago when you didn’t turn in your work-in-progress report on time? Well, get better for next year.” This does not mean an organization should have formal weekly performance reviews, but it is critical to create a vehicle that makes receiving plus (positive) and delta (needs improvement) feedback normal. 

Culture First & Vulnerability

There is a knee-jerk reaction that occurs with a feedback process. Let’s do a test. What is your reaction when you hear this statement: “Can I give you some feedback?” 

If your skin crawls and you begin to retch, you might have proved a point. Nowhere in the question were the words, “Can I share something particularly revolting about you and make you uncomfortable?” However, the culture may not be in the right place if there is a visceral reaction to any feedback. 

Put another way, baby steps. The best way to do this is to begin with yourself or the leadership team. Make yourself vulnerable so the rest of the organization can welcome this process and grow. 

Consider the following exchange: “I think  two areas where I excel are A and B, while the two areas I struggle with are C and D. Now, can you share two areas where I perform well and two where I can improve?” 

Giving your team permission to share plus/delta feedback with their leader speaks volumes. Additionally, there are likely to be a few blind spots uncovered, especially if your team leans into this process and shares a nugget like, “I would agree with you’re A and B, but I think your C is one of your strong suits. However, I would add E and F to things you can work on.” 

Stick to the Facts

There are definitely individuals who really lean into feedback. If you have ever said, “I am a tell-it-like-it-is person. I don’t pull any punches,” then you are likely who I’m talking about.

However, with this candor comes a need to be humane. There are always things we can improve upon, but hearing something like, “You really suck at finance” is hardly contextual — or even something that will help improve performance. Consider changing up the message slightly: “You are great at planning, but your financial management skills are impacting the accuracy of our WIP process.” While “sucking” at finance might be true, it isn’t actionable. 

One of the most important pieces of feedback when discussing feedback is to be genuine. Consider the most meaningful piece of plus/delta feedback you have received in your career. Even if it was more delta-oriented, it more than likely helped shape your career today.

Avoidance of any feedback processwill only create developmental issues within your team. As your team sees you lean into feedback because you care about not just their performance but their long-term development, belief in the process takes hold without cynicism.