Leadership Principle #30 –Nailing the Art of Feedback
What if I told you there was one way to reliably improve productivity, and it’s something obvious, yet typically undervalued in corporate culture today? You might be surprised to know I’m talking about the importance of feedback here. What I’m not talking about is the kind of feedback that is usually associated with annual reviews. That one-way feedback is totally different because the primary driver behind those interactions is money, a completely different motivating factor.
What I’m talking about is genuine, honest two-way communication designed to sincerely help someone improve. These conversations, when held frequently across the company, in a manner that upholds trust, professionalism and integrity, will absolutely lead to personal and professional growth amongst your employees, resulting in a more engaged and productive workforce. As an added benefit, loyalty also tends to increase when individuals feel seen, heard and valued through a cycle of frequent, constructive two-way feedback.
It's true there can be challenges to building a culture that values and promotes feedback. From the side of the person delivering the feedback, it may simply come down to fear, vulnerability or sensitivity. Yet if you knew something that would help someone grow, why wouldn’t we deliver that information? This is where it helps to think about the collective growth of the team. Being a good leader requires doing hard things, and the benefits gained through open and honest feedback is worth the effort. Plus, people are far more resilient than we tend to think, and in general, people want to get better. They will trust genuine, constructive feedback that is given in their highest interest.
The flip-side of giving is receiving, and you will get a lot of feedback at the top level. But you can learn a ton by weeding through all that feedback. You can find some gems if you’re willing to stay open and receptive. The truth is that everyone requires feedback in order to consistently improve, CEOs included! We need each other to become better versions of ourselves and this cycle of continuous learning is dependent on how well we can build the skill of feedback.
Getting good at giving and receiving feedback is an essential leadership principle that you need to master in your role as CEO. You and your team will be able to weather a lot of storms if you have two-way feedback nailed. It’s a critical, yet often underappreciated tool, and one that properly leveraged, will improve productivity and results. It’s well worth the effort.
If you want to learn more about how to improve your own feedback skills, I offer CEO coaching programs designed to address this leadership principle and many others. Contact me today for a conversation about your goals and the potential of beginning a coaching relationship.