Dora Giannioti
Giving and receiving feedback
One thing I can’t stress enough is the importance of feedback. I am talking about seeking feedback for yourself or giving constructive feedback to others.
I often come across people who avoid giving or receiving feedback because they are either afraid (afraid of what they’ll hear about themselves or uncomfortable giving it) or don’t see the value in it.
For those who are afraid to seek feedback for themselves, I have a few tips:
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Start with asking from someone you trust. Someone you believe has your best interest in mind and knows you well professionally. Avoid people who don’t know you well and might have a hidden agenda or are unfamiliar with your industry as there is a risk that their feedback might not be accurate or constructive.
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If your company or business doesn’t have a formal process for this, organise it yourself. Use an online tool and put together a questionnaire with the things you want to know. Make it anonymous to help people be as honest as possible with you.
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If you are afraid of receiving negative feedback, then maybe you should change your mindset. Instead of making this about yourself, make it about THEM. How did your actions or work impact them? What can you change to help THEM with THEIR work? Maybe that will make it easier to hear without feeling judged.
When giving feedback it is important to be constructive. If you take into account the following guidelines it is more likely to be well received.
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Be empathetic. Do it with kindness and respect.
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Be clear and specific. Use examples where possible. This is particularly important for both negative and positive feedback. Which of the two following options do you think works better? A. You were great in that meeting. Or B. I was impressed with how well you managed to resolve the conflict in that meeting.
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Give the feedback immediately after you observe something. When the event or the behaviour is still fresh in the person’s mind.
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If you want to give pointers for improvement, try to find positives too, to balance it out and make the individual feel less defensive. In fact I like to start with the positives to set an encouraging tone before going to the hard stuff.
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Focus on the things that the person can actually change (for negative feedback). There is little point in making someone feel bad about the things they can’t actually do anything about.
Last note. Feedback needs to be given on a regular basis. If you are a leader, this is an essential part of your job. If it’s positive, it’s a gesture of recognition. If it’s negative, then it’s an opportunity for improvement. You can’t lose!