I spend a lot of time in my Kellogg leadership classes and in my leadership seminars to executives explaining the importance of providing feedback.
While most people will nod in agreement, I believe many do not realize what providing feedback really means. I recently asked an executive if he provided his team with feedback, and he stated, “Absolutely! I sit down with each person once a year and complete the feedback form from Human Resources.” Completing a form from Human Resources once a year has nothing to do with providing feedback. I define feedback as “open, honest, continuous, and transparent.” If someone works for me, there is nothing we will discuss on that once-a-year form that we haven’t discussed multiple times.
I believe that it is critically important that each person has a clear understanding of what they do well and what are the areas in which they should focus to be more successful in the future. I believe each manager has the responsibility to develop each person to their “full potential.” And if the job requires more than what the person is capable of achieving, the manager should either find a position in the company for the individual that is a better fit, or help them find a job in another company that is a better fit.
If you are wondering how good you are at providing feedback, here is an easy test: If you are good at providing feedback, you will never surprise the recipient of the feedback. You will take the time to set clear expectations and clearly communicate them. If the person is surprised by the feedback, I question whether you set clear expectations.
So why do I state that providing feedback is a “moral responsibility?” Very simply, doesn’t every person have the right to understand how they are performing and developing in the organization? If the person has several areas that need development, how can they develop if no one tells them what those areas are? We have all seen situations where somebody doesn’t receive feedback for several years and then is told that they will not be promoted because of certain performance shortfalls. But how can the person develop if they don’t know what the development areas are? Therefore, the more “open, honest, continuous, and transparent” the feedback is, the higher the probability of the person making progress and reaching their “full potential.”
Some managers worry about focusing on feedback because it sounds like we’re focusing on past performance. I appreciate the perspective of Marshall Goldsmith, a well-known executive coach, who explained to me that we shouldn’t refer to it as “feedback.” Rather, we should focus on providing “feed forward” to help the person going forward as they progress to reach their full potential. As an added bonus of providing true feedback, you will find that you will rarely fire someone because they will be coming to you questioning whether they are in the right job since it’s clear to them they are not meeting the clear expectations that you are setting as the manager. This enables you to work with the person to determine the best next steps for them either in the company or in another company.
One last thought: the topic of “feedback” is an important part of being a values-based leader. Feedback enables me to treat every person with whom I interact the same way that I would like to be treated. Since receiving feedback is key to my development, shouldn’t I make sure that those whom I’m interacting with receive feedback as well?
Seems to me you can feel a moral responsibility to provide feedback but the responsibility has to be joint with someone who has bought into the principles of values based leadership in the first place and you have a working relationship and expectations that have seasoned over time. You can’t be doing all the work.
A provocative matter to start a shortened week.
The moral responsibility in foundational for building resilient leaders, especially now. Lately, I have been noticing that the feedback I give (and receive) as an executive coach is more challenging because of how uncertain and volatile the work environment continues to be. As usual, your focus on strong emotional awareness and regulation has never been more important.