Two keys to feedback success or failure

Two critical success factors:

1. Managers’ discomfort with feedback is due to individual barriers & belief systems

2. Company-wide attitudes re: how feedback is handled

A turnaround requires you to address both areas.

1. Individual managers, ideally starting with the executive team members, have to assess and address their unique barriers to being comfortable giving and receiving constructive feedback.

2. Top management must welcome and reinforce a feedback-friendly culture

Individual Managers

More and better performance review tools and more instruction on the steps for giving feedback won’t do the trick. Each leader needs to get to the root cause of their feedback reluctance, get going, and get started in providing daily or weekly feedback to each and every person on their team.

Company Feedback Culture

After most or all leaders in the group are doing it successfully, top leaders can consciously welcome and increase feedback within the whole enterprise. A clear and believable message has to be sent out to everyone that “Hey, we want to get better at this and every leader and every employee will feel a positive impact on their performance AND personal development.