How your feedback can help your colleagues thrive

Encourage your team to do more of the things they already do well, instead of rating and criticizing their performance.

“It's not a good text. Change it”. This was the feedback the managing director gave me when I presented a report I wrote.

Not only was his feedback demotivating, but it was so vague that I had no clue what he meant. And when I repeatedly asked him to give more details, he didn't. Meeting adjourned.

His feedback had a demotivating effect on me because he merely focused on whatever he considered being my shortcomings.

Would his feedback have motivated me had he used the sandwich model of feedback? No. Despite the popularity of this feedback model, I don't believe it's an effective approach.

I believe that all leaders should master the skill of giving and receiving feedback. But maybe not in the way we're all used to.

It's pretty standard for managers to criticize their colleague's performance for helping them improve. But focusing on failure doesn't allow employees to thrive.

Firstly, research shows that criticism activates the brain's fight or flight response and hinders learning.

Secondly, excellence looks different for each individual, so giving feedback will always be based on the leader's subjective impression of what's right or wrong.

Instead of telling colleagues what they can do better to improve performance, managers can create successful teams when they focus on outcome.

When they see a great outcome, a manager should encourage that specific performance by saying, “Yes! More of that!”

Great things happen when people are reminded of just how powerful they actually are. My coaching clients rapidly grow once they turn their already strong abilities into mastery.

And in case of a negative outcome, a manager should share how their colleague's performance came across, instead of rating the performance.

In the example above, my managing director could've said, “When I read through the second part, it felt disconnected from the other parts.” That way, the focus would've been on the effect of my writing instead of what he thinks is right or wrong. It would’ve encouraged both of us to have a professional and equal conversation about the matter.

Two weeks after he told me to change the text, I presented the same piece without any adjustments. And he approved it.

So one's view on what's right and wrong can change pretty quickly!