When assessing leaders needs and gaps in capability, the ability to give and receive feedback comes up as a priority again and again.
Having difficult conversations is, well, difficult! It is hard to get the right balance of continuing to care personally while being able to challenge directly. You may recall this concept from my recent post about the Radical Candor framework from Kim Scott. So let's get a bit more specific about feedback.
Firstly, you need to get better at receiving feedback. Learning how to step back, listen and take on board someone else's point of view will provide you with the equanimity and empathy needed to skillfully offer feedback to others.
If you want to learn, grow and illuminate your blind spots, you should get in the habit of actively soliciting feedback. The more specific, the better.
Here is a Four-step feedback formula that works:
START WITH A MICRO QUESTION - YES/NO
DATA POINT - Observe, observe, observe! Stay with the FACTS!
SHOW IMPACT - Articulate the feelings and needs
END WITH A QUESTION - Make a request/ ask them if they have any suggestions
Here is a short TED video that explains this process in more detail, its worth the watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtl5UrrgU8c. As an experiment, you can try feed-forward instead.
Feed-forward is a fun, simple exercise that enables you quickly to share knowledge and gain insights from others experience. Here is the basic feed-forward formula:
1. Identify the behaviour that you want to improve
2. Get ideas from others on how to improve it
Let me know how you go!
'Till next time