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7 Steps to Giving Effective Feedback
that Transforms Performance June 2015
Effective leaders transform performance with well-delivered, effective feedback. Here are 7 steps from
the coach's playbook so you too can give feedback that transforms performance and gets results.
A Coaching Approach to Feedback
As a leader, why do we give feedback? To make someone wrong?
To make us look impressive, knowledgeable and experienced? To
increase our status?
No. For effective leaders who want to help transform
performance in others, it's about contributing to people's
development: helping to build confidence, stay motivated, be
more effective and create better results. And effective leaders do
that by spotting excellence, offering perspective, promoting self-
awareness and embedding key learning.
To be this effective leader, we need to take a different approach
to feedback; one that's focused on the other person, their
thinking and their learning. An approach that supports the
individual to achieve their goals and objectives. Essentially, a
coaching approach.
So here are 7 steps from the coach's playbook so you too can
give effective feedback that transforms performance and gets
you and those around you achieving better results.
Step #1
Spend significant time and effort setting-up the
feedback conversation
Ever noticed how words like "review" and "feedback" immediately
send us and others into an "away" state? That lurch of the
insides, a feeling of unease and impending doom. Why is that?
Because "review" and "feedback" have become synonymous with
an attack on our abilities, competencies and status. And in
response to that social threat, our limbic system kicks-in: an
"amygdala hijack," at which point, higher-level rational thinking
shuts down.
To avoid triggering that limbic response, a significant percentage
of any effective feedback conversation should be dedicated to
setting-up that conversation - to keep all involved thinking
clearly.
From the coaching playbook, we do that using 3 techniques:
placement, permission and context.
Step #2
Use placement
Like coaches, effective leaders make sure the recipient of the
feedback is prepared to have the conversation by "placing" them
in its context.
Placement is a way of letting both of you know why the
conversation is happening, how you see the conversation
unfolding, and where it's headed. Using placement at the outset
of a feedback discussion introduces structure and certainty -
both characteristics the brain craves.
In particular, make clear your intention for having the
conversation. And when you do, keep that "coaching leader" hat
on: this is about contributing to the other person's thinking and
learning, not making them wrong.
Step #3
Get Permission
It's also important to get the other person's permission before
delving into feedback on them.
"Would you be interested in hearing that feedback?"
"Would now be a good time to talk about it?"
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You might not be peers, but a feedback conversation is far more
effective if it takes place on a near-level playing field. So again,
keep that "coaching leader" hat on: this is not about a power
struggle; it's about growth.
Step #4
Create an empowering context to your feedback
It's also useful to show the recipient of the feedback that you are
completely on their side; that your interest in this feedback
conversation is them and their development. Effective leaders,
like coaches, do that by creating a context that empowers the
recipient.
Create an empowering context by positioning yourself and the
feedback as contributing to the other person's development; by
aligning yourself with the recipient; and by making connections
between the feedback discussion and the other person's
ongoing goals and objectives.
"I've really seen how you've been applying yourself to
improve your performance and I'm very committed to
working with you to take it to the next level."
"Recently, I've noticed something that's been going on. I’d
like to bring it to your attention because I think it could
really help you move towards your goal."
"I'm not going to talk too much about what happened.
What I'd like to do is see how I can best help you fulfil
your potential in this role. If that's something you're
interested in?"
Step #5
Ask for their positive feedback first
Now that the feedback conversation has been well-placed,
coaches and effective leaders start by asking a feedback
recipient what they've done well - and acknowledging it.
This "self-directed" approach gets people thinking for
themselves, reduces the threat response and moves them to a
"toward" state. This is then a great place from which to start
looking at elements of development.
Step #6
Ask for their thoughts on development
Just as we perceive feedback as a status threat, we experience
"feed forward" - talking about what we could do better next time
- as a status reward as we imagine our improved future selves.
Coaches and effective leaders make use of this, asking feedback
recipients for their thoughts on development - rather than
starting with what they think. And they do this in both positive
and negative feedback scenarios.
1. "What have you taken-away from this?"
2. "What would you do differently next time?"
3. "What do you think are your areas for development?"
Interestingly, when someone describes their own limitations,
their status actually goes up because they're illustrating their
self-awareness. So don't be afraid to push others for their
thoughts on required development. It's empowering and
Step #7
Add your feedback - but only if needed
Now that the feedback recipient has had an opportunity to
reflect on their own thoughts for their performance, the effective
leader is in a great position to share her feedback - and the
recipient in a great place to receive it.
Before sharing that feedback, effective leaders re-establish
permission with the recipient - to continue managing the social
threat.
From there, the key characteristics of great feedback are that: it
is precise; it is owned; and it accentuates the positive.
Be succinct, specific and generous
Effective leaders deliver their feedback precisely.
1. They are succinct: the best feedback is given
in a single sentence.
2. They are specific: feedback is never
generalised and includes details.
3. They are generous: by being authentic and
real with the recipient.
Own your feedback comments
Effective leaders accept responsibility for their feedback
comments.
There's that long-running joke that when we become a manager
or a leader, we stop saying "I" and start saying "we" all the time.
Effective leaders don't do that when giving feedback.
To give genuine, value-adding feedback, effective leaders accept
responsibility, both when noticing something that went well, and
when highlighting issues that may seem negative. Owning a
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statement makes it more authentic and less likely to be
confrontational.
Accentuate the Positive
Effective leaders focus on creating new solutions rather than
dissecting problems.
The brain is an attention economy: whatever we give attention
to, those are the circuits we deepen. So focusing on the problem
just reinforces the problem. Knowing how the brain works, better
to focus on creating new wiring.
Here are some examples of how effective leaders accentuate the
positive.
Appreciation: I really appreciate you taking
time to look at this.
Validation: I can see you've given this a lot
of thought.
Recognition: It's clear that you are a very
capable technical architect.
Confirmation: The approach you took was
perfectly suited to the requirement.
Affirmation: I think you deserve the credit
for delivering this programme.
Thanks: Thanks for taking the time to focus
100% on this issue.
Feedback that transforms
performance
If we want to transform people's performance, we need a new
model for feedback: one that focuses on the thinking, the
learning and the positive. We need always to be asking: "is what
I'm about to say, and the way I'm about to say it, going to add
value?"
Now, that's not to say we gloss-over the facts if a person is
consistently underperforming; and there's a time for direct and
honest conversation about poor performance. But people are
hard-enough on themselves - let them handle the negative on
their own.
Our role, as the effective leader who wants to improve
performance, is to spend less time talking about the issue that
didn't work so well in the past; and more time discussing what
went well and what to change in the future - and then exploring
ways to make all that possible.
Effective feedback is mostly asking rather than telling. And if it is
telling, it's about what they did right. Try it - and watch
performance transform as a result.
Dan Beverly is a leadership and performance coach helping high-calibre, high-
performing professional women embrace the pivotal career moments.
His mission is to inspire possibility in others: to help us excel in careers without
compromise; and to leave us feeling energised and uplifted by a new future.
Go online to book your complimentary “Session Zero” with Dan – and start
capitalising on your pivotal career moments today.
http://danbeverly.com/session-0
