Leadership / Management / Feedback

Feedback - a Powerful Tool for Leaders

Learn the Mindset, Skillset & Toolset to deliver effective feedback

Feedback can be an ultra-powerful tool, but it’s also a dreaded one for many leaders, especially for those giving feedback for the first time. If they are not equipped enough to wield this powerful tool, then it could do more harm than good.

• How effectively a leader uses this tool along with other tools, largely determines how effective they are as a leader. So, toolset is important.
• Only skilled people can effectively use tools. So, skillset is important.
• The combination of skillset and toolset yields great results, only for those with the right thought process — the mindset. Hence, the mindset is also very important.

Let’s look at the trio of mindset, skillset, and toolset required to deliver effective feedback to individuals in a team.

Mindset

You might have heard of a variation of the below mentioned clichéd quote but I will mention it anyways, as THIS is the fundamental mindset a Leader should internalize:

Leadership is not “building things” (product/service/company/business) by using people. Instead, it is about “building people” while building things.

End of the day, let us accept the fact that ‘building things’ is what pays in today’s world. It could be building a product or a service or customer satisfaction or revenue or so on & so forth. So, it is a fact that building things is every organization’s goal.

However, if we build things by using people, then we will never have a sustainable organization. And the one that tries to do it will never be a Leader. And in my personal yet humble opinion, it is plain wrong to do so.

That is why a Leader has to build people while building things.

Skillset & Toolset

While delivering feedback, a Leader has to skillfully communicate two things:

1. appreciate the good work, so that they:
   • know what is ‘good work’ in order to duplicate it in future
   • feel acknowledged, appreciated and encouraged
   • have an improved self-image to accomplish more
2. list down what needs improvement and how to improve, so that they:
   • clearly know the behavior/action they need to deviate from
   • know the steps to take to improve
   • have improved confidence on reaching the next level

But the divine is in the detail (yeah, positive version of ‘devil is in the detail’ 🙂). And here comes the details:

• The way the feedback is delivered can make it a positive experience for the receiver or a bitter one.
  ▪ Follow the 2D feedback model by Tasha Eurich (Dr. Tasha Eurich), as the model focuses on future rather than the past and it focuses on the action rather than the person. This way, people are ready to receive the feedback positively and ready to act on it. Here is Dr. Tasha Eurich explaining the 2D feedback model (less than 5 minutes video):

• What level of rapport & trust is built with the individual over several weeks to months before the feedback meeting happens matters a lot — a whole lot.
  ▪ Build vulnerability based trust as explained by Patrick Lencioni in his amazing book “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team”. You might find summary of this online, but my recommendation is that you read the book — it is just awesome. Here is a detailed video (41 minutes) by Patrick Lencioni explaining the same:

• Knowing the career aspirations of the individual and aligning the feedback accordingly. This way the feedback becomes a great tool for the individual to stay on track to reach their own career goals.
  ▪ And this is where regular 1–1s come into picture. The 1–1 meetings are great opportunities to build rapport, build trust and understand their career aspirations.

Summary

‣ Mindset — help the individual grow.

‣ Skillset — skillfully communicate appreciation of the good and improvement needed on what isn’t.

‣ Toolset — 2D feedback model, vulnerability based trust, regular 1–1s.

I have Originally published a variation of the above article at https://www.linkedin.com.