017: How to Give Effective Feedback
Hello from Bengaluru!
In case we haven’t met - my name is Narayan Kamath. I am an Executive and Leadership Coach, helping engineering/ technology leaders evolve into inspiring and impactful business leaders by working on their inner and outer game.
Most managers feel they are good at giving feedback, but they also admit they don't like giving feedback - especially corrective feedback (sometimes called negative feedback).
It is often believed that giving positive or reinforcing feedback is easier than giving negative feedback. However, many managers feel awkward giving positive feedback - because they think it sounds inauthentic and artificial.
From my work with over 1000 leaders at different levels, very few managers know how to give effective feedback - they often mistake criticism (or praise) for feedback, and do not deliver it in a way that would make a difference - bring about positive change.
In this issue of Unleash Your Leadership, we will do a deep-dive on how to give effective feedback
While everyone agrees feedback can be useful, it is important to understand why feedback matters. Understanding the why might motivate you to overcome any resistance you feel to giving feedback when it is needed
The Benefits of Feedback
The biggest benefit of feedback is improvement in performance. And this is also the most common reason and situation in which feedback is given.
Here the feedback is intended to bring about some positive change in the performance by doing something new, doing something differently, or not doing something.
This change helps achieve an outcome that both the giver and receiver of feedback agree upon.
Other benefits of feedback include:
- Developing your people
- Improving employee engagement
- Enabling personal and organizational growth
- Increasing retention
There are many other benefits to giving effective feedback, and managers would significantly increase their impact if they learnt the right way of doing it.
But before we learn how to give feedback the right way, it might be useful to look at the typical mistakes that managers make when giving feedback
Mistakes People Make When Giving Feedback
The biggest mistake that managers make with respect to giving feedback is not giving enough feedback.
Some managers avoid feedback altogether, others avoid giving corrective feedback, while some feel awkward giving positive feedback.
Executive and Leadership Coach Art Petty considers the most damaging feedback to be feedback that is left unspoken.
Other common mistakes leaders make when giving feedback include:
Passing off criticism as corrective feedback.
Criticism is not feedback. The most significant difference between the two is that criticism is about dissatisfaction the critic feels, while corrective feedback includes the element of purpose - to improve the process, person or outcome.
Passing judgment instead of describing the situation and impact in a neutral way
Another way to look at this is , speaking in terms of traits ( "You are lazy/stubborn/dumb"), instead of describing behaviours ( “You did not finish the job/ You have repeatedly refused to do this task / You are not doing this correctly”)
Giving feedback about issues that are not in the recipients control.
If you know the person you are giving feedback to cannot do anything about the issue, you are venting your frustration not giving corrective feedback.
Giving feedback at the wrong time or in the wrong place.
While immediate feedback is considered most effective, you must be careful to ensure that the situation is safe - physically and psychologically before you give feedback. Also, giving feedback in the presence of other people might make the person embarrassed or defensive and unreceptive to feedback - negating any benefits of immediacy.
Giving feedback without context.
Often managers launch directly into what they see as the problem, without first setting the context : when/where did it happen, who else was involved. This can be very confusing and the recipient might not even recognise what you are saying.
Giving feedback in the wrong frame of mind.
You should be mindful of how you are feeling when giving feedback - being in an agitated or uneasy state will impact how you deliver feedback and how it is received. It is also important to consider the recipient's state of mind - feedback is ineffective unless the person is receptive.
Giving feedback without taking permission.
If feedback is in service of the recipient, then it is logical to seek the recipient's permission - at least as far as the timing and location are concerned
Not checking for understanding and agreement.
Sometimes just the act of saying something difficult is so draining that managers do not want to extend the conversation and quickly end it or change the topic. This is not feedback - it is scoot and shoot. It is important to check that the feedback has landed - that the recipient understands how you see the issue and its impact.
Not asking for resolution.
It is not enough to deliver your message and check the person understands it. If the purpose of feedback is improvement, this requires some action on part of the recipient. It is important that the recipient understands what to do and commits to doing it.
Not following up.
If you have given feedback in expectation of some improvement, then you need to ensure that the commitment is followed up by action.
The Right Way to Give Feedback
As a leadership coach and trainer, I have studied and taught several models of giving feedback. The one I love using and teaching most is a framework I learned when I first joined Shell (the global energy major).
It was simply called the feedback model or SEED/BIC. I don't think it was developed internally, but haven't found a credible original source either. If you are aware of the original source of this model, please let me know - so I can attribute it correctly.
The model is very simple and versatile - it can be used in most situations, including when you wish to give positive or reinforcing feedback. In fact, I also teach leaders how to use it to elicit useful feedback from others.
The model describes a process that ensures you avoid most of the common mistakes people make when giving feedback, and makes your feedback more effective.
These are the 4 steps for giving effective feedback:
1. Set the Scene (S)
When you give feedback, start by explaining the context. What specific incident or instance are you talking about. What was the occasion (meeting, presentation, conversation, visit, activity)? When did it happen? Who was present?
2. Explain your Point of View (E/BIC).
Explain what happened, and the consequence from your point of view. It is important to stick to the facts and not your judgments. The BIC part of the SEED/BIC model makes it easy to stick to the facts and avoid evaluative judgments
-Behaviour (B): Describe what happened in terms of the person's behaviour ( for example: “You did not provide the information in time.” ) Avoid judgments such as “You are irresponsible” or “You are tardy.” Also avoid generalisations such as "You always miss the deadline.". If you want to convey there is a pattern, then provide some more specific instances and say "There are other instances as well. It seems to me it's a pattern."
-Impact (I): Describe the impact of the behaviour. This is the direct or immediate result of the action (or lack of action) on part of the recipient. For example "Since you submitted the data late, it could not be included in the management report, and the leadership team was unable to get the correct picture of the progress made so far."
-Consequence (C): Describe the consequences of the behaviour. These are the indirect, but significant effects of the action (or lack of action) on the recipient's part. For example: "Leadership questioned the credibility of the entire report. Our budget request was denied. My competence and commitment as a manager are being questioned, and so are your’s."
3. Enquire about their point of view (E)
Once you have conveyed the message, it is important to check whether/how it has landed. Does the recipient agree with the facts? Do they understand agree with the impact and consequences? Do they see a need to change behaviour? Without this step, you are simply guessing whether the message has ben received and whether the recipient considers it serious enough to take action.
4. Design the required action collaboratively (D)
In a typical feedback session, if the discussion gets to the stage of taking action, it is usually the manager who states what needs to be done. This is not ideal because in most cases, the information and expertise required to resolve the issue lie with the team member, not their manager. Also, when the recipient is not involved in the solution, there is not enough buy-in, and even if they take any action, they are likely to bail out at the first opportunity.
The process outlined above is simple to understand and easy to apply. Before you give feedback to anyone, take a couple of minutes to use the SEED/BIC model to decide what you are going to say and how you are going to give the person feedback.
To Conclude
Giving feedback is an essential part of the leader's job, yet most managers are not very effective at it.
The greatest benefit of giving feedback is improvement in performance. The other benefits include development, increasing engagement, personal and organisational growth and improved retention.
The biggest mistake managers make when it comes to feedback, is not giving enough feedback. There are also a number of other mistakes that make feedback ineffective.
The SEED/BIC model of giving feedback is a simple and versatile model that can be used in most situations where feedback is necessary.
By avoiding the most serious mistakes, and by using a model like the one described above to plan and deliver feedback, managers can significantly improve ease with which they deliver feedback, as well as the quality and impact of their feedback.
Feedback is a gift. Make sure you do it right.
That's all this week! Thanks for your time. 👋
Narayan
PS: When you are ready, here are some ways we can work together to amplify your impact:
1. Grab a free copy of my Deliver Through Others Checklist - It’s a useful summary of the key principles to working better with and through others— Click Here
2. Work with me privately - If you are an Engineering/Technology leader aspiring to evolve into an inspiring and impactful Business Leader, let’s talk! Set up a no-obligation exploratory call with me - Click Here