Feedback completes the circuit

[00:00:02] Leading is hard work. A piece of good news, though, is that the skills you need to lead well build naturally on each other. For example, clarity allows you to set clear expectations. Clear expectations are the foundation of accountability, and in its turn, accountability entails scoping and measuring work, which equips you with what you need to provide clear and credible feedback.

[00:00:28] It's the trifecta for providing support so that employees can achieve results. Clarity, accountability, and feedback. And now that we are focusing on feedback, I want to answer two questions for you. Why do we need feedback? And what makes feedback effective? I'm your host, Kate Johnson, and you're listening to The Well-led Podcast.

[00:00:51] I once wrote and facilitated a leadership class called Driving Results. I can admit now, though, that I never really liked that term. Driving results or drive for results always left me feeling uncomfortable, like it's missing something important.

[00:01:15] With the perspective that comes from time, I can see that framing what it takes to get results this way as the act of driving, and that makes it very one-sided. If this is a leadership skill, then the leader, by default, fills the role of the driver. But where are the employees? Who is really doing the work? If we must have a network. If we must have a network. If we must have a network. If we must have a metaphor.

[00:01:39] Then perhaps an orchestra and its conductor are a better model. Conducting results, in this case, being the act of guiding skilled players to create a shared performance, a song, a symphony. An orchestra can play without a conductor. Not necessarily with the best results, but a conductor without an orchestra is, well, just some guy with a stick.

[00:02:09] All jokes and metaphors aside, though, let's stay in the space of music, sound, and audio for a little while longer. Because this is where we will find the beginnings of the answer to our first question. Why do we need feedback? The word feedback comes to us from writing on electrical science in the late 1900s, early 1920s.

[00:02:34] It was first defined as the return to the input of a part of the output of a machine, system, or process. That's a mouthful. Well, let's simplify it this way. Feedback returns an output to its source. I find it interesting to note that the audio music association arose in the 1930s,

[00:03:00] and the more modern use of helpful information or criticism didn't appear until the 40s or 50s. But what does it mean to return an output to its source, to do feedback? Well, we can map it out and name each part like this. The source is the performer or employee. The output is their performance outcome, whether it's a behavior or work product.

[00:03:28] Finally, returning is not necessarily a literal act, handing back whatever the employee did to them. Instead, it's a recounting of what was done and what impact it created. So, the skill of feedback is the ability to manage by telling the story of work performance to an employee. This is the heart of performance management. And this is why we need feedback.

[00:03:57] It is the tool that you have at your disposal to use to let employees know how well they are doing work. Did it hit the mark or not? Did it have the intended impact and match up with the desired expectation? Feedback. The feedback completes the circuit, if you will, that begins with expectation setting. It's important to note that feedback is not by its own nature negative. Its connotation has drifted that way over time,

[00:04:27] but we have to remember that feedback can and should also be about what is working well. So, what makes feedback effective? For starters, we have to recognize that effective feedback only exists when clarity and accountability are present. Known expectations and an understanding that your work is being observed and measured are the necessary context for feedback.

[00:04:55] Leaders who drop in with helpful information or criticism that is not linked to clarity and accountability are essentially conducting sneak attacks. This behavior should be avoided at all costs. But when clear expectations are employed to create accountability, feedback is not only appropriate, it is a requisite of leading well.

[00:05:22] And it relies on its own small set or packet of skills. Preparing, delivering, and following up. It will comfort you to know that this first part of the skill set directly mirrors the work you've already done to set the expectation. In fact, whatever expectation you communicated becomes your feedback blueprint. It makes sense, doesn't it?

[00:05:48] The performance story you tell has to connect back to the assigned work, after all. So, if we recall the simple model for an accountable expectation, we have essentially a checklist of what information you need to gather when preparing feedback. What results are needed? Why these are important both to the organization and the employee? Who needs to be involved and in what capacity? And when everything is due.

[00:06:16] Your next task is to compare the result to the expectation and identify gaps. And remember, some of the gaps may actually be because the employee surpassed the expectation. It's not always about assessing the negative difference or deficit here. It may be the case that you asked for 20 widgets by the end of the day, and Jane only produced 5. But sometimes, Jane knocks out 30.

[00:06:44] That's a good gap, and you have the opportunity and responsibility to give her feedback. So, once you've done this side-by-side comparison, you can think about how to organize the feedback for delivery. Again, it can be simple, as simple as answering straightforward questions. What is the specific outcome that was achieved? Why does this particular outcome matter in a business context?

[00:07:15] How exactly did it vary or match the original expectation? And when are changes or modifications, if any, necessary? You also need to address your own mindset. This is because you want to ensure that your own behavior while delivering feedback reflects clarity, specificity, and kindness.

[00:07:40] I'm a proponent of approaching feedback with a mindset that I am here to help and support, and my tone and demeanor should be visible evidence of this. Last, and all feedback with a question. Think of it as an invitation to dialogue. And this also echoes the moment of expectation setting. Here's one example. Jane, I see that you were able to finish all 20 widgets to meet your quota yesterday.

[00:08:08] However, a quality review found that three of them were faulty. It's great that you were able to improve your overall product count, but now we need to focus on quality. The waste associated with those three widgets impacts the team's numbers, and your net volume count for the quarterly bonus will be impacted. Now, I'd like to hear any questions you have, and tell me, is there anything happening at your workstation that I should know about to help you get to goal?

[00:08:38] You prepared your feedback. You delivered it. Now what? Follow-up. Leading well is rarely one and done. It involves this continuous exchange between you and your employee. There is a cadence, a back and forth between you two. You carry the responsibility, setting an expectation. They take on the responsibility, performing work.

[00:09:06] You assume the responsibility again, providing feedback. It's back to them for continuing or refining their work. And this is the point where you take the lead again, whether it's to validate that consistently good results continue, that the improvements are there, or to address ongoing concerns. Follow-up will almost always take one of these forms. Keep up the good work. Thank you for making the changes we discussed.

[00:09:37] Or, hopefully not as often, now we need to discuss next steps. And it's this last element of the skill set that transforms feedback from information to support. It demonstrates that you are there at the employee's side and ensures they are able to stay pointed in the right direction at each step. If you fail to follow-up, feedback becomes a burden on the employee that will eventually wear them down,

[00:10:06] impacting engagement, productivity, and well-being. I know that many of you have had bad experiences with feedback. Whether someone gave you feedback that was less than helpful, or even cruel, or if you struggled to provide feedback in a way that had the impact you hoped for. For those of you who hesitate when feedback seems necessary, I want to offer a kind of guiding principle to help you.

[00:10:35] Be specific. Let me echo something I said during our lesson for effectiveness about accountability. Why do we care so much about specificity? Why do you need to populate expectations with details? It's simple, really. Ambiguous language creates ambiguous results. The same applies to feedback. Without specificity, it is unruly.

[00:11:02] If you tell me I need to do better, I can't know what steps to take or how to change. But if you tell me to read through the slide deck at least twice to ensure there are no typos and to confirm the data is accurate before my next presentation, I know what to do. I can take action. I am equipped and supported. Specificity here applies to all aspects of feedback.

[00:11:27] It means clarity when talking about results and when describing why the results matter. It means providing details about the difference between what was expected and what was produced. It means clear, reasonable timelines. And it means being clear with yourself about the purpose of providing feedback and how you interact with the person on the other side of the conversation.

[00:11:50] I'm happy to share that this month's guest for our deeper conversation about feedback is Kim Rohr. Kim joined me in the comfy chairs in 2024 for a conversation about culture and storytelling. And over the last year, we've been collaborating on a project focused specifically on feedback.

[00:12:13] We're nearly ready to release It's Giving Feedback, the ultimate guide to supporting performance with confidence, kindness, and precision. We'll have more to share in two weeks and lots to say on the topic of feedback. So be sure to listen in. Until then, I'll be back next week with an episode featuring other voices sharing thoughts on feedback. And later this season, we'll explore the role and importance of authenticity and leadership.

[00:12:40] If you want updates on episodes, resources, and upcoming offerings from 123 Limited, you can join the newsletter at any time. Latest companion toolkit is now available. Check the show notes for a link to request your copy. And when you subscribe, you'll receive new tools automatically as they're released. If this episode was useful, you can support the show by following or subscribing on your preferred podcast platform.

[00:13:07] Or by sharing it with someone who's navigating similar leadership challenges. Thanks again for listening.