Marjorie's Blog

Sunday, September 07, 2008

Courageous Feedback

I have spent the past month asking for peer feedback on various aspects of my business—everything from product offerings & service levels to personal presentation style. The purpose of my asking is to become a better business owner...create more value for the client, offer what my target market wants (not what I think they want), and communicate with my team effectively. The responses were helpful but it felt like there was some holding back from the group. This made me curious.

It takes a certain mindset to be totally open to what others may perceive as a flaw. It requires leaders to examine the information and act on it. It requires your peers to provide courageous feedback. They take a risk in giving you input even though you asked for it. If you believe you are getting harsh criticism, here are my 5 Tips for Graciously Receiving Negative Feedback:

1. Listen to everything that is being said. You respected the person giving the feedback so hear them out.

2. Do not judge or critique the person providing you feedback. If you truly want to be a better leader, examine the information - not the messenger.

3. Put the information into context. Think about any comments from the perspective of the other person.

4. Pay attention to trends. My rule of thumb - If 3 or more people tell you the same thing, then there is a 99% chance it’s the truth.

5. Say THANK YOU to everyone you asked for feedback. Provide them with your action plan of those areas you will improve.

Proceed with the intent of implementing changes that make sense - you did, after all, solicit the advice.

Until next time...live like you mean it!
Marjorie

Posted on 09/07/08 at 11:57 PM
Categories: (3) Comments • Permalink

Marjorie

Another pertinent blog entry. Feedback is a gift and it requires boldness to both ask for it and provide it.

What are your thoughts on anonymous feedback to overcome some of the barriers you describe?

Regards
Simon

Simon Cooper - 09/28 at 05:28 AM

Simon,

I usually get the ‘anonymous feedback’ question from someone inside an organization where the trust factor is low. 9 out of 10 times the person asking the question has received retaliation in some fashion for voicing their feedback, and is now hesitant about offering more.

Have you heard of anonymous leadership? I have not. It is unlikely for a person hiding under the cover of ‘anonymous’ to be seen as a true leader. Their unwillingness to step up and take ownership of their comments and opinions does not show integrity.

Leadership requires a strength of character beyond being popular; it requires a person willing to stand by their convictions regardless of majority thinking.

As a leader, you also need to create a safe environment for your team. The problem arises when your ego feels attacked, and you want to defend your actions. Navigating a leaders’ ego is a great mentoring opportunity—of which, too few leaders take advantage.

Now, that would be interesting research and reading!
Marjorie

Marjorie - 10/14 at 08:42 PM

I agree that there absolutely is not such a thing as anonymous leadership - the two words are completely incompatible. However, I believe anonymous feedback has merit in certain situations.

For example, it might be valid where a leader is attempting the transition from a traditional management approach to a more engaging leadership approach. The leader can ask for feedback as much as they like but until there is total trust between them and the team members, the feedback they get might not be full and open.

The most valuable feedback addresses the hardest areas and while the leader might be ready for it, the team might not be.

Stephen Covey has developed a model that focuses on the 13 steps a leader must take to create trust. His suggestion is that this can be accomplished quickly in virtually all situations. My counter suggestion is that this might be true if the leader has the skill set and the underlying talent for implementing these steps. But in reality, most leaders who are using Covey’s model to develop trust are likely to be lacking in either the ‘competence’ areas or ‘characteristic’ areas. These take time to develop, especially the latter.

In the meantime, feedback from team members might be useful in helping them make the transition and develop. If the best way of accomplishing this is by using anonymity, so be it.

Another scenario is to consider team members providing feedback to each other. Are they emotionally mature enough to do this? Do they have the interpersonal skills to do it effectively? again, I see a place in this situation for anonymity.

Overall though, I agree with your sentiments. Feedback is valuable and it is a gift. A true leadership environment includes open, honest and regular feedback throughout the team.

Simon Cooper - 10/15 at 01:33 AM

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