Improving a Leader’s Feedback Skills

As evidenced by our discussion on feedback thus far, it’s tricky terrain to navigate. There are many extremes and variations of feedback, from the angry leader that no one can please, to the leader who provides no feedback whatsoever.

Understanding and appreciating the value and importance is one part of the equation. Another part of the equation is truly understanding how to use either positive or negative feedback as a tool that improves and empowers, for example, a leader’s direct reports.

There are a number of ways leaders can improve their feedback skills as briefly discussed in the remainder of this literature.

1.     Make Feedback Useful/Helpful

The purpose of feedback is to provide a leader’s direct reports and others with information they can use to change their behavior. Being clear about the intent and purpose is important because giving feedback sometimes can become emotional for both the leader giving it and the direct report receiving it. If the leader giving feedback is in an emotional state (such as angry or upset), they may say things that make them feel better temporarily but only alienate the direct report.

To be helpful, leaders need to be clear and unemotional when giving feedback, and they should give feedback only about behaviors actually under the direct report’s control.

Leaders can improve the impact of the feedback they give when it is addressed to a specific direct report. A common mistake in giving feedback is addressing it to “people at large” (e.g., a leader’s work group or team) rather than a specific individual or direct report.

In this case, the direct reports for whom the feedback was intended may not believe the feedback pertains to them. To maximize the impact of the feedback, leaders should try to provide it to specific direct reports not work groups or teams.

2.    Make Feedback Specific

Feedback is most useful when it identifies particular behaviors that are positive or negative. The feedback leaders give should be concrete and about specific performance related occurrences. The feedback should focus on the specific actions that have taken place and why they need correction and what is to be done about them. The more specific leaders can point out which behaviors to change, the more clearly they let the other person know what to do.

3.     Make Feedback Descriptive

In giving feedback, it is good for a leader to stick to the facts as much as possible, being sure to distinguish them from inferences or attributions. A behavior description reports actions that others can see, about which there can be little question or disagreement. Such descriptions must be distinguished from inferences about a direct report’s feelings, attitude, character, motives, or traits.

It is a behavior description for example, to say that a direct report did not complete an assigned task as directed to. It is an inference, though, to say they did not complete the task because they were angry. However, sometimes it is helpful for a leader to describe both the behavior itself and the corresponding impressions when giving feedback. This is particularly true if the leader believes that the direct report, for example, does not realize how the behavior negatively affects others’ (their co-workers or teammates) impressions.

Another reason for a leader to make feedback descriptive is to distinguish it from evaluation. When a leader gives feedback based on inferences, they often convey evaluations of the behavior as well. For example, a leader saying “You were too assertive in the team meeting” has a more negative connotation than saying “You had too much to say in the team meeting.”

In the former case, the direct report’s behavior was evaluated unfavorably and by apparently subjective criteria. Yet evaluation is often an intrinsic part of a leader’s responsibilities, and good performance feedback may necessitate conveying evaluative information to a direct report. In such cases, leaders are better off providing evaluative feedback when clear criteria for performance have been established.

Table X-1 lists some criteria that leaders can use to provide evaluative feedback.

4.    Make Sure Feedback Is Timely

The worst case scenario for leaders is that they are addressing issues that have happened many days, weeks, or even months in the past. Feedback usually is most effective when leaders give it soon after the behavior occurs.

The context and relevant details of recent events or behaviors are more readily available to everyone involved, thus facilitating more descriptive and helpful feedback.

As a best practice, any issue should be addressed by a leader within 24 hours of the occurrence. This prevents things from festering or boiling over further down the road. It also shows the employee that the leader (or someone) is actively monitoring their performance and creates a culture of accountability.

5.     Be Flexible in Giving Feedback

Although feedback is best when it is timely, sometimes waiting is preferable to giving feedback at the earliest opportunity. In general, leaders should remember that the primary purpose of feedback is to be useful/helpful. Feedback sessions should be scheduled with that in mind. For example, a direct report’s schedule may preclude conveniently giving them feedback right away, and it may not be appropriate to give them feedback when it will distract them from a more immediate and pressing task.

Furthermore, it may not be constructive to give someone else feedback when the person receiving it is in an emotional state (whether about the behavior in question or other matters entirely). Moreover, it is important for leaders to be attentive to the other person’s emotional responses while giving feedback and to be ready to adjust their own behavior accordingly.

Another important part of a leader being flexible is to give feedback in manageable amounts. In giving feedback, leaders do not need to cover every single point at one time; doing so would only overboard the direct report, for example.

Instead, a leader who needs to give a lot of feedback to someone else may want to spread out the feedback sessions and focus on covering only one or two points in each session.

6.     Don’t Offer Negative Feedback (Criticism) in Front of Peers

While it might be justified, delivering negative feedback or criticism in front of peers and co-workers will often be interpreted as an insult or belittling act. The result is a direct report or team member becoming defensive because they feel singled out by the leader.

Instead of calling a direct report out in public, leaders should quietly schedule a time and place to talk privately so that both the leader, and their direct report or team member, are both comfortable and can address the issue appropriately.

7.     Listen When Giving Feedback, Don’t Just Talk

While it might be tempting to go through a laundry list of what the leader thinks the problems are, one of the best things a leader can do is to provide an open ear. Leaders should give an overview of what they think the issue is, but give their direct reports, for example, a chance to speak and voice their opinion.

Even though the direct report might be wrong, the leader should engage in hearing out their concerns. This will make employees feel like they have been given a fair shake in the process and more readily accept the next steps or actions they and the leader agree on.

8.     Give Positive and Negative Feedback

Giving both positive and negative feedback is more helpful than a leader giving only positive or negative feedback alone. Positive feedback tells the direct report or the group or team only what they are doing right, and negative feedback tells them only what they are doing wrong. Providing both kinds of feedback is the best thing leaders can do.

9.     Avoid Blame or Embarrassment

Because the purpose of feedback is for the leader to give useful information to direct reports and others to help them develop, talking to them in a way merely intended (or likely) to demean or make them feel bad is not useful or helpful.

Direct reports tend to be more likely to believe feedback if it comes from leaders who have had the opportunity to observe their behavior and are perceived to be credible, competent, and trustworthy.

It has been noted that direct reports will continue to seek feedback even if their leaders are not competent or trustworthy—though they will not seek it from their leaders. They will seek it from others they trust, such as peers or other leaders.

10.     Define an Action Plan

One of the most important aspects to seeing positive results from a leader’s feedback is creating a positive action plan that ensures future success. Without a definitive action plan, the leader’s feedback will be taken as a hollow act or power trip from a bad leader.

Leaders should also define some action items on their end to make things even-ended, such as providing additional resources or learning and development (L&D) to improve performance.

11.     Follow-Up

The leader has given a direct report, for example, the constructive feedback they need, heard their concerns voiced, and created an action plan. There’s one more key step for the leader, and that’s to follow up.

Behaviors often don’t change overnight, and it’s incumbent on the leader to provide continuous, positive reinforcement to make sure old habits aren’t repeated. Leaders should not nag, but check in to make sure that their direct reports or team member is staying on the path to success they’ve previously identified (hopefully with input from the direct report).

12.     Finally, Follow the Three D’s for All Work—Do It, Delegate It, or Ditch It

Do assignments yourself, delegate work to competent employees as soon as possible, ditch unimportant tasks. In any case, leaders should not let assignments pile up, as they will ultimately reduce the efficiency of a work group or team.

Providing constructive Feedback is an important skill that leaders must master if they are going to be effective. The feedback process doesn’t have to result in conflict, resentment, or wounded egos. Leaders can give feedback to direct reports and others that result in positive outcomes by taking into consideration the points listed above to provide constructive (effective) feedback to their direct reports and others.