Closing the Loop: 5 Ways to Harness Feedback
Feedback is a popular topic in professional development and leadership. Nearly everyone would agree that employees need feedback in order to grow. However, feedback is more than just development. Feedback can also help to improve performance, supply motivation, increase engagement/retention and enable professional agility.
Not only is feedback important, but studies show that employees are actually actively looking for more feedback. According to one study, 83% of employees valued feedback. Yet, in spite of that statistic, less than 30% report actually receiving effective feedback.
While the importance of and need for feedback at the organizational level deserves a post all its own, at the individual level, this lack of opportunity for genuine, helpful feedback means that employees need to make the most out of whatever feedback they can get.
So, how do you get the most out of feedback?
Ask for it.
Most organizations have annual or semi-annual performance cycles built into their talent management systems. However, research shows that feedback is more effective if it happens more often. While individuals cannot change their organization’s policies or performance evaluation cycles, they should still ask for feedback outside of the formal process. Connect with a supervisor on a regular basis and use current or recently wrapped projects or themes as the basis for your feedback quest.
Don’t think there is time to ask for additional feedback? It is true. We are all busy, so you may have to get creative with how you ask for feedback. In an ideal world, feedback conversations happen in a controlled setting with time carved out for discussion, but that isn’t always possible. Instead, slip the conversation into a one-on-one meeting or check-in, start the conversation in the hall and finish with a follow up email, or ask a supervisor to hang on after a video call about something else that ends early. Feedback doesn’t have to an hour long in depth conversation. It can be a few sentences.
Listen to it.
Feedback is only effective if we are able to hear it. It is natural to have a strong emotional response when receiving feedback, especially when it is constructive. We are evolutionarily wired to have emotional reactions to stimulus to avoid harm, particularly if we perceive it as negative. In other words, feedback can be physically difficult to hear. That is why it is important to prepare for how we will receive the information we seek.
First, it is important to separate feedback from self-identity. Remember that performance, and thus feedback about performance, is associated with things we do, not who we are. By making that distinction, it can be easier to recognize that feedback is not a personal attack. It is instead meant to be a cue to affect behavior. Think of feedback like adding a page to an instruction manual rather than adding a line to your bio.
Second, listen openly. Be ready to take both positive and negative feedback. If emotions or defensive feelings begin to bubble, start writing down what you are hearing. The emotions signal that you are no longer processing the feedback effectively, so better to get the feedback down and come back to it when your mind is ready to hear it rather than lose what is being said.
Lastly, remember that gathering feedback and taking action are two separate things. When you are listening to feedback, listen. Try to avoid thinking about what actions need to be taken while you are listening. This frees your mind from trying to do too many things at once and allows you to listen fully to what is being said. On the flip side, it also removes opportunities for your actions to be clouded by whatever emotions you experience while receiving feedback. As you are gathering feedback, imagine everything you receive being put into a bucket. When done, set the bucket aside until your mind and emotions are ready to think about action.
Understand it.
Vague or general feedback can be difficult to interpret. This is especially true when feedback is less frequent. Though you cannot control how the information is given, you can be sure you understand what is being said.
When presented with feedback that seems vague or has an uncertain responsive action, ask the person giving the feedback to clarify. Continue to ask questions until the point becomes clear — but don’t stop there! Once the feedback messaging is clear, repeat it back in your own words. Taking it that extra step will ensure that you completely understand what the feedback is and can accurately and effectively understand what to do with the information.
Internalize it.
Understanding and internalizing are different concepts. Internalizing feedback means validating the information and recognizing how you need to interact with it. Internalization requires analyzing both the source of and your relationship to the feedback being given.
Source internalization is all about analyzing who is giving the feedback. This is important because the same feedback coming from different sources may require different actions. For example, feedback about your communication from a leader you work with often may suggest the need to take actions that affect how you approach communication broadly. However, feedback about communication from someone you work with less may suggest more granular actions focused on a specific project or work-stream are more appropriate.
Knowing the source can also be helpful to decipher information from individuals that aren’t necessarily good at delivering feedback. In other words, the feedback you receive is not always what is intended, and understanding the source allows you to better ask questions that can get you the information you need or, conversely, recognize that specific feedback coming from that source is not relevant.
In addition to source internalization, it is important to understand your relationship to the feedback being given. Nothing happens in a vacuum, so it is critical to think about how you need to interact with the information before taking action. Is it direct feedback about something you did, or something that was done as part of a group? Was the time period associated with feedback recent, or has something changed since then that might affect how you interact with the feedback being given? What is the priority level? Do other conversations need to happen?
Once you have a better sense for who is giving feedback and your relationship to what is being given, it is time to start planning.
Build on it.
You’ll never plow a field by turning it over in your mind. — Irish Proverb
Hearing and understanding feedback is one thing, but nothing will change if nothing is done.
Once you are ready, return to the bucket of feedback you collected and start thinking about what was passed along. What needs to be done? What changes do you want to make? What outcomes are expected? What actions need to be taken to make progress? Then, start making a plan.
As you build out your action plan, remember that not everything can be done at once. There may be some triage involved, or one action may require other prerequisites before you can move forward. Likewise, don’t expect that you’ll clean out the entire bucket with one action. Break down information into pieces. Where something seems clear and/or easy to engage, plan to start there. You may even plan an action and execute on it before coming back to the bucket for the rest — and that is ok! The point is progress.
Don’t forget to loop back.
The more opportunities you have to gather and act on feedback, the more you’ll be able to demonstrate growth and develop further. While the actions discussed above are ways to make the most out of the feedback you receive, it is equally important to remember that feedback is a conversation. Share your action plan with the person that gave you the feedback. Ask for their input. Keep them up to date on the successes or challenges associated with the action. And most importantly, don’t stop asking, listening, understanding, internalizing and building just because you got a win. Think big. Start small. Don’t stop.