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THE POWER OF
“Giving feedback” is one of the most
effective ways to motivate employees to
learn, increase their effectiveness in their
jobs, as well as the effectiveness of the
overall team and organization. Yet in reality,
many companies globally are either not
doing it right or not doing it enough to
realize the power of feedback.
By Gary and Bonnie Nelson. September 2014.

Feedback is the lifeblood for strong performance in the workplace. According to

research, providing feedback is one of the most effective ways to motivate employees
to learn and to increase the effectiveness of individuals, teams and entire organizations.
In the NBOGroup’s Leadership Development Framework, more than half of the
behaviors and capabilities for successful leadership link to effectively giving and
receiving feedback.!

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A McKinsey & Company survey of over 12,000 managers throughout the world
supports the key role of feedback. Managers surveyed consider “candid, insightful
feedback” extremely important to their development, but most do not believe their
companies do a good job of providing such feedback. These survey results are
consistent with NBOGroup’s 25 years of experience in coaching and leadership
development with MNC’s and Governments across Asia. Input from most managers
(and non-managers) comment that they get little guidance or feedback on their work.!
100  

Job  assignments  

5  
2  
75  
6  
How  well  
company  
provides  
(excellent,  good)  
4   1  
12  
7   Coaching,  
50   feedback  
3  
Training   8   9  
10  
14  
11  
Mentoring  
13  
25  
25   50   75   100  

Importance  to  my  development  

(cri)cal,  very  important)  

JOB  ASSIGNMENTS   COACHING,  FEEDBACK  

1.  Promote  high  performers  quickly   7.  Told  my  strengths  and  weaknesses  
 
   
2.  Build  skills  to  boost  career   8.  360  feedback
prospects 9.  Candid,  insighGul  feedback
3.  Fast  rota)on  and  advancement   10.  Informal  coaching  from  boss  
   
4.  Roles  with  P  &  L  responsibility
5.  Special  project  opportuni)es MENTORING  
6.  On-­‐the-­‐job  training   11.  Great  mentor  
   
12.  Great  senior  role  models
13.  Mentoring  advice  on  development

TRAINING  
14.  Tradi)onal  classroom  training  
Source: McKinsey & Company “War for Talent” Survey, 2000!

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The bottom line is that talented people depend on others for honest assessments of
their work in determining what to do better. Without feedback about their performance,
it is difficult to figure out exactly what and how to improve. With constructive feedback,
they can learn more quickly and, with much greater accuracy, focus on key changes
needed. As individuals make efforts to improve, objective observers can help them
understand whether their efforts are on track or not, and how they might improve.!

There is no dispute that feedback can be highly useful and yet as we can see, from
the research mentioned, feedback is one of the most under-utilized tools of
leadership! There is, of course, lots of literature on customer feedback and how that
helps product development, relationship management and increased sales; but there
has been far less focus on the importance of feedback in performance management
and talent development. The good news is that many successful MNC’s are now
taking up feedback training as a strategic leadership initiative across all their global
offices.!

The Feedback Challenge & Opportunity

With some tasks, feedback occurs naturally. For
example, in baseball, a batter receives feedback on
his swing by seeing how hard and far the ball travels.
Underperformance in batting then drives change of
technique, practice and coaching input. Progress
can be measured quickly and quantitatively.!

As human beings, part of our nature is to enjoy

learning and growing. It’s a big part of what brings
satisfaction and accomplishment to our lives. This is
precisely why video games can be so very addictive.
And, as with our baseball example, why sports such
as golf inspire tremendously focused dedication.!

For other activities, however, judging the correctness of technique or behavioral

approach without interpersonal feedback is difficult. For example, you participate in an
important internal meeting on a key project. Your supervisor seems unhappy but never
comments on the quality of your participation, leaving you to wonder if you are
meeting his/her and the company’s expectations.!

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Herein is the dilemma about giving and receiving work related feedback. While
wanting to grow and learn is part of our nature, at the same time, we also have a
strong need to feel accepted — to feel respected and safe — and that’s why
feedback, either not given or poorly given, can be hurtful, drive negative reactions,
impact productivity and be a de-motivator.!

Helicopter View on Feedback

Technically, feedback describes the situation where giving information on an event in
the past will influence the same event in the future. This is accomplished by informing
the performer about the outcome and the manner in which the outcome was achieved
(or missed). The ideal is for the performer to appreciate, both intellectually and
emotionally, the manner in which he/she approached the activity and how that effort
impacted the outcome. The performer can then use this information to continue doing
what they are doing (positive input reinforcing excellent results) or do a better job the
next time (constructive feedback on ways to improve results). Feedback can be said
to be effective only if the information provided reinforces excellence or changes
performance in the desired positive direction.!

Managers consider
“candid, insightful”
feedback to be extremely
important to their
development. But their
companies are not doing
a good job of providing
such feedback.
McKinsey & Company “War for Talent”
Survey (p.2)

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The Roles of Feedback “Givers” and “Receivers”

While both “giving” and “receiving” feedback are important, it has been found that the
way one receives feedback is actually the most important factor in determining the
positive results achieved in performance conversations.!

You can be the most skillful feedback giver, but at the end of the day, the receiver is in
charge of what they ‘let in’ and whether they choose to change. A skillful, open and
thoughtful receiver can gain value from any feedback — even if it is poorly delivered.!

The Receiver’s Role, Attitude is a Choice

We cannot always control our circumstances, only how we react to them. Our
character is more assessed by our reactions than by our actions. While a “giver” does
impact how a person receives and responds to feedback, the choice is individual. A
“givers” intent comes through within the first minute.!

In the realm of feedback, the receiver — not the giver — is the key player in the
exchange.!

The way we handle feedback has an impact on our relationships (both work and
personal). If we’re open to feedback, we send three important messages: !

Ø  We are confident and value the perceptions of others!

Ø  Learning and growth matter to us and we are always looking at ways to
improve!

Ø  We have humility and don’t think “our way” is the “only way”!

Current research shows that people who solicit feedback — especially negative
feedback — tend to receive higher evaluations than those who don’t.!

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Avoiding or resisting feedback, either professionally or personally, can have

extremely negative effects. The message we send to the people around us is that
their opinions/perceptions don’t matter and are not wanted. This undermines trust
and turns off the only “communication” path for developing strong and productive
relationships. It's through feedback that we can "see ourselves as others see us.”!

The basic question is what to do with the feedback we receive. Our personal goal
should be to focus on developing the capacity to stay open to feedback, especially
during those moments when we feel defensive about the feedback. The more
defensive we feel the greater the chance that we are about to learn something very
important about ourselves.!

The way we receive feedback is the most

important factor in determining the positive
results achieved in performance conversations.

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The Giver’s Role

Giving feedback is constructive when it is given with the goal of encouraging and
reinforcing another person’s behavior toward a positive outcome. For feedback to be
effective, it must be given when someone does things well, not just when they make
mistakes. !

Another consideration for feedback concerns the amount of data given. A balance
must be maintained between giving too little and too much feedback. An individual will
not grow and learn as quickly if too little feedback is given. On the other hand, too
much or overly detailed feedback can cause frustration, a sense of being
overwhelmed and can slow down the learning process.!

Finally, the very best kind of feedback is when you can help the “receiver” analyze his/
her own performance to improve results. This can be called the “Socratic” feedback
approach where the “giver” asks questions to help the “receiver” think through their
own performance and identify potential changes they can make.!

With constructive
feedback, employees can
learn more quickly, and
focus on key changes
needed with much
greater accuracy.

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Feedback, either not

given or poorly given,
can be hurtful, drive
negative reactions,
impact productivity and
be a de-motivator.

Here are some suggestions for “giving” effective feedback:!

1.  Always focus on the behavior, not on the person's personality. For example, if
someone misses deadlines on projects it is far better to say, "For the last 3
projects you have been late several days submitting your results” rather than “I
think you lack responsibility and commitment to your job.”!

2.  Explain how the behavior is impacting others. For example, "When you are late
with your results, it means others in the team cannot complete their portions of
the project and must work overtime and on weekends to meet the final
deadline”. !

3.  Use the “Socratic” approach and ask the individual for suggestions on how
the behavior can be changed.!

4.  Together, agree on a solution and set a specific goal. For example, they could
agree to do project status reviews weekly to ensure they are on time or identify
corrective measures needed to meet the deadline. !

5.  Set a time to meet to see if the goal has been met and to set new goals.!

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Creating a Feedback Culture

A Feedback “Culture”
In Anna Carroll’s book, The Feedback Imperative: How to Give Everyday Feedback to
Speed Up Your Team’s Success (River Grove Books, July 2014) she concludes the
following:!

“When a lot of leaders and a lot of

employees get involved in regular,
ongoing feedback, they create a
feedback and learning culture. Everyone
is used to feedback. Everyone gets it.
Everyone gives it. And individuals know
they are not being singled out. Far from
feeling intimidated, people welcome
feedback–and even ask for more!”
Carroll adds. “It quickly became clear to
me that frequent, honest communication
among the people involved is the magic
ingredient needed to generate fabulous
results.”!

References
Gary V. Nelson & Bonnie L. Nelson “What Bosses Want: A Guide to Building Leadership
Competencies” 3rd Edition (NBOGroup 2014)!
McKinsey & Company, “War for Talent” Survey of over 12,000 managers!
St. Benedict “The Rule of St. Benedict “ (Saint Benedict Press January 1, 2009)!
Anna Carroll “The Feedback Imperative: How to Give Everyday Feedback to Speed Up Your
Team’s Success” (River Grove Books, July 2014) !
James R. Detert and Amy C. Edmondson “Why Employees Are Afraid to Speak” (HBR May 2007)!
Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen “Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving
Feedback Well (Viking/Penguin 2014)!

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About NBOGroup
The NBOGroup has been conducting leadership development,
communication and interpersonal skills training across Asia since
1988. The NBOGroup is one of Asia’s most respected leadership
and communication consulting firms, with offices in Hong Kong,
Singapore, and with partners in Indonesia, Malaysia and Europe.!

Each NBOGroup program is designed to fit the specific learning

objectives of our clients, who include many of the Fortune 500
of excellence
companies. With worldwide experience, our programs and
products are tailored for multi-cultural environments.!
years
The NBOGroup employs leading edge tools in our customized engagements the NBOGroup unique
online 360° Leadership Survey, and psychometric tools including Dr. Raymond Cattell’s Sixteen
Personality Factors & Five Global Factors (16PF). Our executive coaches add value in personalized
experience by linking individual personality and behavior to desired performance objectives.!

Our trainers emphasize the development of practical competencies, not stereotyped techniques. This
approach delivers greater impact, a lasting application by the participant, and a return on investment
for the organization.!

The NBOGroup offers its clients a total learning resource with the philosophy that our client
relationship is “a partnership that continues”. We look forward to the opportunity of working with you.!

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