You Can Improve Performance Through Effective Feedback
June 13th, 2010
Executive coach and author Marshall Goldsmith wrote, “Feedback is a gift that only other can give.” What makes it so difficult for so many of us to give and receive feedback if that is the case?
Much of the difficulty people have with feedback is actually about power. If we give feedback to someone, our motive may actually be to control them. Our resistance to receiving feedback is possibly a resistance to change.
Before handing out feedback, it can be helpful to clarify the reason for it. Here we will explain five different types of feedback and ideas for handling each type.
Evaluation Feedback: This is the feedback type that is found the most in the workplace.But is also the kind that doesn’t help very much. Evaluation feedback always happens at the end. When the performance year is over. After a week-long class is over. The end of a project. True, we all need to be willing to rate ourselves, and the evaluation feedback will improve our performance next time. But why not give and get feedback when we can learn from it real time?
Real-Time Performance Feedback: This type of feedback generally comes from a boss or someone whose own success depends on you. While it may be couched as an observation or something for you to think about, when someone shares performance feedback, they intend for you to change your behavior.
It is helpful to get clarifying information when you think that you are receiving performance feedback. Try asking, “what exactly would you like me to stop or start doing?” Once you get the feedback, make the change!
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Fine-Tuning: This feedback comes from people who think you are generally doing a good job, but they see an opportunity for you to get even better by tweaking a behavior or two. One of the best examples I can give of fine-tuning feedback came from someone who participated in a course I gave. She let me know how much she got out of the course, and then asked if she could give me some feedback. She shared that when I nodded my head while listening to people in the audience, it made her feel as though I was rushing. WOW! I was blown away because I had no idea that this behavior had a negative effect on my audience.
Fine-tuning feedback is most effective when you share the impact a behavior has on you or on other people. The person who is giving you feedback doesn’t want to change you or even to control you in some way. The person receiving the feedback has the chance to decide whether to change or not change, the person giving the feedback is merely sharing how they are impacted.
Feed-Forward: Goldsmith came up with this one years ago. It means giving someone suggestions in advance about how to behave rather than waiting for them to fail and beating them up afterward. Years ago my husband was about to present to his company’s executive leadership team for the first time. Before the presentation, his boss coached him on how much detail to include in his presentation, what he shoud wear, when he was expected to speak and more.
Slap Upside the Head: Two years ago, a colleague who is also a great friend sat me down and said, “You are making yourself and others miserable. What do you think you’re doing?”
Only very good friends can give slap upside the head feedback. It involves personal feedback that people share out of concern and caring. In his book, Who’s Got Your Back, Keith Ferrazzi gives some great examples of this feedback along with the assertion that we all desperately need people in our lives who care enough to give it.
Slap upside the head feedback is not given with the intent of controlling or even changing for the sake of the person giving the feedback. They speak up because they know where you want to be and see that you are getting in your own way.
Summary
Those giving feedback: Think through before giving feedback what the most appropriate form would be to achieve the intention you have for it.Remember that if you are not in a position of authority, evaluation feedback is not appropriate. You can lead a horse to water . . .
If you are on the receiving end: Keep in mind that we all are blind to certain things about ourselves, and feedback is one of the few ways to discover those things about ourselves. Even if you ultimately disagree with the feedback, accept it as a gift from the person giving it. If it’s evaluation or performance feedback, you have a chance to change in order to do better in the eyes of others. If it’s fine-tuning or slap upside the head feedback, you have the choice to change or not.
Wendy Mack is a consultant, speaker, and change catalyst who specializes in helping leaders mobilize energy for change, For more articles and resources on leading and communicating change visit: www.WendyMack.com.
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