The word ‘feedback’ has many associations. Where does your thinking go when you hear the word ‘feedback’?  The way you feel about feedback can determine your level of comfort giving and receiving both positive and constructive feedback. Anecdotally, I have observed many leaders who do not feel comfortable doing either, which directly impacts how they participate in this space.

Why does feedback even matter?

There are numerous benefits to be realised. Feedback optimises an individual’s performance by providing them the opportunity to grow, which ultimately impacts organisational performance. As Hattie (2007) states, “the most powerful single influence enhancing achievement is feedback”.

We can think of feedback as a way to collect data. We live in a world of data and analytics and this area is growing exponentially. Many people measure other aspects of their life, such as step count or amount of sleep. This information is provided instantly and can allow for immediate adjustments. Feedback is similar in that it is in the moment and allows people to course correct.

Feedback is also great for personal development. Everyone has blind spots; it may be that you have derailers that are inhibiting your career progression. Has someone had the courage to give you this feedback? Have you asked for it? Obtaining this feedback is useful to enhance self-awareness and create action.

What’s my role as the leader?

It is important to understanding the lens in which you are coming from and unpack your assumptions. Research demonstrates that leaders drive culture. One explanation for this is that followers and team members typically mimic the behaviours of their leaders. This is referred to as role modelling. This implies that you are largely in control of creating the type of culture that you would like for your organisation.

As a leader, you are constantly sending signals. An employee will ask themselves “how am I expected to behave in order to fit in around here”. If the employee experiences a ‘shout out’ for excellent performance, they will understand this is what the organisation values. Similarly, if they observe poor performance being ignored, this also will send a clear message of how to behave – that poor performance is okay. This is not what we want to achieve.

At Steople, we often measure team effectiveness by using our High Performance Teams model. One of the main areas that consistently scores low is feedback. Many teams believe that feedback is not given or received enough, and people do not believe they have the skills to have difficult conversations. This negatively impacts their team performance.

Instead, you can adopt the ‘Leader as Coach’ approach by utilising coaching frameworks to grow and develop your team. Providing your team with feedback and coaching them through their performance plays an important role in maximising the collective intelligence of your team.

When should feedback be delivered?

All literature on feedback refers to the concept of timely feedback. The best feedback is in the moment. Obviously, there is a time and a place. That is, taking some conversations offline and in confidence.  Adopting the Hattie approach of providing constant feedback allows the person to create self-awareness and course correct.

Unfortunately, what is best practice is not what always happens in reality. For example, how does your organisation execute performance reviews?  Or more importantly, do you do them at all? Are they a tick the box exercise over a coffee? What I find disappointing is when I hear that there was a surprise in the performance review. There should be no surprises. By taking up to 12 months to discuss, this risks the person repeating the mistake multiple times before being told what not to do. This is a missed opportunity to give feedback in the moment and to improve performance for the individual, the team and the broader organisation.

What gets in the way?

The Australian culture is one of avoidance (Cooke,2015). We do not like conflict and therefore choose to avoid the more challenging conversations. However, when we ignore these issues and conversations, do they go away? What I have observed is the more you start to adopt the constructive conversations, the easier they become. There are some great frameworks that can assist and become part of how you lead.

We may feel hesitant to give feedback to others as we have received it poorly in the past. Stone and Heen (2014) have identified feedback triggers from the perspective of the receiver. These can cause a tension between wanting to learn and grow and wanting to be accepted for who we are. Growth comes when you allow time to pause and reflect on the feedback and be curious and appreciative. It is important to note though that because you may experience some of these triggers it should not stop you from giving feedback. By understanding these triggers, we can help others overcome them.

So, as a leader who sets the culture, it is time to pause and reflect on how you give and receive feedback.  What has been your experience in this area?  What would you like it to look like in the future?  Now that you are aware of the benefits and your role as leader and its impact on culture, it is time to put on your ‘super suit’ and give it a crack.

If you would like to find out more, contact your local Steople office today here.