Better Feedback, Better Team
Dispatch 012
The Rebuild: Restoring Trust in Toxic Times
On December 5th I'm hosting a free Masterclass about rebuilding trust.
During the time I'll share proven strategies for developing trust despite toxic & stressful time.
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Are you good at providing feedback?
- Does your feedback lead to change?
- Is your feedback appreciated?
- Do you feel like you're saying the same thing over...and over...?
- Does the phrase "I have some feedback for you" strike fear into the heart of your team?
You're feedback probably spot on but it's delivered so poorly that things go off the rails before you even get started:
They aren't ready for the feedback
The words are too mushy
Unclear benefit from making changes
It feels like an edict instead of a joint effort
Better feedback isn't magic - it's a process
The Process: 4 Easy Steps
- Ask for a "micro-yes"
- Objective & specific feedback
- Impact that will come from improvement
- Bring them into the solution
#1 Ask For a "Micro-yes"
The temptation is to prioritize efficiency, going headfirst into the feedback. While benefiting from speed, this often is ineffective.
A quick question can solve for a lot of this:
I have some feedback, is this a good time?
That one little question does two things:
1st - it gives their brain time to catch up and get ready to process the information
2nd - by agreeing to the feedback they will naturally be willing to accept it.
When feedback feels like a hostage situation, natural fight or flight responses will kick in. The simultaneous "warning" & agreement helps to prime the pump.
#2 Objective & Specific Feedback
I think.
I feel.
I didn't like.
That's subjectivity. Feedback is often overrun with unhelpful language that is mushy, murky & unclear. Words like:
Strategy. Be less technical. Communication. Need more "Pop". You went too fast/slow. This information is too detailed. Do XYZ "better".
These don't actually tell someone what they are supposed to do. They don't even really describe what they did.
Instead of "be more strategic" try this:
Your presentation had lots of detail about how we would achieve this, but it failed to tell us why it was necessary and the risks of inaction.
This provides objective and specific information of what needs to be improved, and what that improvement should be.
#3 The Impact of Improvement
Just giving the feedback isn't enough to deliver sustained change - the impact of improvement has to be clear. Without impact the whole process of feedback is just a big "so what"
Sharing more about the why & the risks will help the team prioritize this better against other decisions, especially since we only have two delivery sprints before the client deadline. The risk view is especially important so we can define some mitigation steps.
The impact establishes the impetus for change.
#4 Bring Them Into the Solution
Creating edicts is the purview of capricious dictators and mediocre managers - Great Leaders actually bring the team into the defining the solution. Options include:
How do you we think we could improve this?
What would be the best way to follow up?
What's a reasonable time frame for making these changes?
Giving the team control over resolution builds better grounds for driving accountability as a leader. Even more importantly, they are more likely to embrace solutions they design.
The Bottom Line
Feedback doesn't have to be hard, but effectiveness requires thoughtfulness. Great Leaders know that sustained growth doesn't come from off the cuff feedback, it comes from considering the best ways to help our people grow. Sometimes we need to go SLOW in order to go fast later
Leader Resource Kit
Just The Tip
Tell Less, Ask More
The fastest way to become a better leader is to ask better questions:
- Why do you want the team to do this work? Requestors of work often fail to articulate the benefit they expect to see. Pressing for this will help frame what they want to accomplish.
- What is the process for XYZ? This is the best way to learn about what is being done, and you'll get there faster than playing 20 questions
- What if that wasn't a constraint? Reframing to remove "blockers" can free the team up to come to better, more creative solutions.
Instead of falling for the trap that leaders need to have all the answers, embrace questions as the way to grow yourself and your team.
Next week we'll discuss the idea of Radical Candor and how it will change the feedback you give, and supercharge getting results from your team.
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Keep Learning, Leading & Growing -
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Adam Malone 📬
The Sometimes Tenacious Founder
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