Feedback
Feedback is information about the past, provided in the present to create changes in the future – or to maintain the good aspects for the future. Feedback can be both positive and negative.
By Pernille Yde Planck, January 2021
Feedback is an important leadership tool. In this article, you will find answers to why you should work with feedback and receive practical advice on giving and receiving feedback.
There are many good reasons to work systematically on both giving and receiving feedback. Feedback can have a positive effect on task execution, collaboration, efficiency, and personal relationships in the workplace.
Feedback is information about the past, provided in the present to create changes in the future – or to maintain the good aspects for the future. Feedback can be both positive and negative.
Through feedback, both you and your employees can become aware of blind spots in your behavior and mannerisms.
We all perceive and interpret the world differently. Feedback is a powerful method to work towards common goals. By speaking openly about things, you avoid misunderstandings that can hinder collaboration.
Therefore, feedback is a leadership tool that you can use actively to strengthen your leadership.
Many use the Johari Window model to work with feedback. Developed by the American psychologists Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham, the model is based on the idea that there is what we know about ourselves and what we do not know. At the same time, there is what others know about us and what others do not know.
With the help of feedback, you can become aware of what others know about you that you are unaware of. As a leader, you can use this model to learn more about your own behavior. Read more about the Johari Window here
In working with feedback, it is crucial that it is specific. If the feedback is not specific, it is difficult to use it constructively.
A positive but non-specific feedback may make the recipient feel good, but it does not offer clear guidance for development—because the recipient does not learn exactly what they are doing well. For example, a non-specific positive feedback might be: "You are always so good at leading our meetings."
At CfL, we offer various courses for new leaders. Our development programs, "The New Leader" and "Leader with Personnel Responsibility," are an investment in you if you wish to be prepared and developed for the leadership challenges you face in your daily work.
These programs create a unique foundation for new leaders, whether or not they have direct personnel responsibility, providing you with a solid starting point for developing both yourself and your results.
In the example of feedback on meeting leadership, positive specific feedback might be: "I think our meetings are very good. I really like the way you manage the meetings with respect to time, and I am never in doubt that we cover all the points."
This specific feedback helps the recipient understand what they do well and focus on continuing that behavior.
Conversely, a negative general feedback might be: "I think your meeting leadership is really bad – it frustrates me." Such feedback is hard to act upon because it lacks concrete details.
A negative and specific feedback, on the other hand, might be: "I am disappointed that your meeting leadership is unstructured, that we do not follow the agenda, and that we always end up going over time while missing several agenda items. I find that unsatisfactory."
Although this feedback is negative and can be uncomfortable to receive, it is specific and offers the opportunity to learn and possibly change behavior because it highlights concrete areas for improvement.
Overall, remember that the purpose of feedback is to improve behavior and collaboration – not to blame, punish, or assert dominance.
Feedback should focus on observable behavior—not on interpretations of intentions or motives behind that behavior. It should be given with the goal of supporting, helping, and developing the recipient, and it should be provided as soon as possible.
Avoid interpreting the behavior when giving feedback. Describe only what you observe. For instance, if you see an employee fidgeting in their chair, you might say, "I can see that you are fidgeting." If you instead say, "You seem nervous," you are interpreting the behavior.
It is also a good idea to express directly what feelings the behavior evokes in you. For example, if you are riding in a car with a colleague who drives so fast that you feel unsafe, you could say, "I feel a bit nervous when you drive so fast." Simply saying, "You drive too fast," is indirect and accusatory. By sharing your feelings, your feedback becomes more disarming.
Additionally, tell the recipient what behavior you would prefer instead. In the car example, you might say, "I feel a bit nervous when you drive so fast. Would it be okay if you drove a bit slower?"
When receiving feedback, it is equally important to pay attention to a few key points.
It can be challenging to both give and receive feedback. To benefit from the feedback, listen carefully and truly understand what is being communicated. Avoid interrupting, commenting, or explaining. Listen, and ask questions if something is unclear or if you need further elaboration. Be open and, if necessary, ask others in the organization how they perceive the behavior on which you have received feedback. Perhaps several people experience it the same way.
Finally, as mentioned earlier, it is difficult to change behavior based on general feedback. If you receive general feedback, ask for concrete examples that you can work with.
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