I run the 3-hour Feedback Skills Boot Camp program six times per year, and in every session, I’m reminded how motivated good managers are to find ways to both praise and encourage growth with their team members. This recent group was filled with energy, embraced the practice activities and discussion design guidance, and offered an ample number of their ideas to make it a rich experience for all of us.

At $147 for three hours of training/coaching plus evergreen access to an E-Resource portal filled with resources, practice cases, and downloadable tools, this is the best value in professional development you will encounter. Learn more.

Great Ideas for Feedback Shared by Our Participants:

  • We tend to delay giving constructive (the challenging kind) feedback and need to recognize that these critical conversations are where we move forward, solve problems, support growth, and strengthen relationships. Instead of delaying them, engage in them as close to the observed behavior as possible.
  • Sandwiching feedback between two pieces of praise is more confusing than helpful to the feedback receiver.
  • As managers, we need to model the right feedback behaviors and be open to it, or, we risk polluting the feedback environment.
  • It’s essential to design our discussions for success but not script them. The dialog must be authentic. Nonetheless, thinking through how you will initiate the conversation and knowing a general direction are essential for challenging situations.
  • As managers, we talk too much in many feedback discussions. Instead, we should engage the other party as quickly as possible.
  • Beware of using the “How did you think that went?” starter. While it might be heartfelt, it can be interpreted as: We both know it went poorly, and I’m putting you on the spot. 
  • Preoccupying with the past is destructive. We’re not workplace archeologists. Focusing on how a behavior should look in the future is critical.
  • Don’t give feedback on an attitude…just the behavior.
  • It’s OK to describe the impact of the observed behavior on both performance and you.
  • We all can give more positive feedback—make sure it’s behavioral and impactful.
  • One of the best things managers can do is create awareness of the importance of feedback with their team members. I encourage managers to bake the expectation of feedback into their team or group values. And, remember, feedback must flow in three directions: up, down, and sideways. (Many of the managers in this session plan on teaching their team members with the tools we provided!)
  • The manager must approach even the most difficult discussions with empathy and a genuine desire to design a way forward together.

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Three hours of great interchanges with motivated managers for a career of improved feedback! Join us in the new year. 

Art's Signature