Feedback – What Works and What Doesn’t?

Do you like receiving feedback? How do you prefer to get feedback?
Think of a time when someone gave you helpful feedback. How did the conversation go? What did the person providing the feedback do to make it a productive conversation?

My guess is that you appreciated feedback that was:

  1. Timely – We tend to be more willing to accept suggestions that are timely. When we face difficult or challenging situations, we usually want to know how we are doing, and what we can do to develop. On the other hand, no one wants to hear what he or she could or should have done long after the fact.
  2. Balanced— I am sure you appreciated getting some positive feedback as well as suggestions for development.
  3. Beneficial— We think of feedback for development as information that helped me be the best I can be, not just comments that pointed out a performance problem.
  4. Sincere— The most effective feedback that I ever got was from someone that I knew really cared about me and took the time to share specific changes that I could make to be more effective.
  5. Engaging—They encouraged me to take responsibility for my own growth and learning by actively creating an environment that constantly helped me seek feedback from my leader, peers, and customers.
  6. Ongoing— Feedback shouldn’t be a one-time event. For top performers (like us!), ongoing feedback can address new challenges and achieve success FASTER!

Now, flip it and think of a time when you received feedback and you got defensive… why did that happen? How was the message delivered?

Next steps: Take 10 minutes to create your own list.

First, think about the best feedback you ever received and model that style. Then, think about what not to do… and don’t do it.
Believe me … it’s easier said than done.