The Most Important Thing for a Leader to Do Well
It’s the most important thing for a leader to do well, and yet many of us often fail at this. Our teams rely on us for this, and yet we often do not prioritize it. And if done without the right effort or consideration - it can be useless, even have a negative impact.
It’s giving feedback.
At first glance, giving feedback might seem easy. Sure, we say what we like and what we don’t like, or what we want to see improved.
I’ve already explained the value of receiving feedback and filtering it out. But I haven’t yet discussed the most crucial piece of the puzzle - which is HOW to give feedback. Because, in my twenty years of leadership, I’ve found that giving constructive feedback is the most important thing a manager can do.
Every year, when I meet with my team, I hand out a one page of what I call, “Griffin Team Expectations.” This includes some details about me, personally and professionally, a list of what my team can expect from me, and another list of what I can expect from them. One of my own expectations is to: provide honest constructive feedback based on my observations. And though I’ve made some missteps along the way, I’ve since come up with a few key things that makes for good feedback.
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First, start the feedback process with a clear framework for what this is - feedback based on my own set of observations. I tell my team that this is my own observation, it doesn’t make it factual, I’m just giving a viewpoint. When I have someone whom I know to be sensitive to feedback, this framework helps.
Second, there is no point in giving feedback that is not in a position to be received. Naturally we can be critical beings as humans, and some of us are more willing to receive that criticism than others. But I’ve found that providing the right environment and timing are crucial.
Finally, good feedback should be given in “feed forward” structure. This focuses on what the individual can do in the future to improve upon things observed. Don’t dwell in the past - if it already happened, there is little you can usually do about it.
Recently, a coworker of mine that I’d mentored gave a presentation in which he told an anecdotal story, comparing a business product within our company to driving a particular car. But before he started into this tale, he gave an apology for the way he would be telling it. He had an accent, which embarrassed him, and he felt that the story might be lacking in some way.
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When the time was right, I pulled him aside and asked if it was ok if I shared some feedback. He graciously said "Of course". Don’t apologize, I told him. Apologizing weakens your confidence in delivery. I was careful not to make him feel bad for his previous presentation, and stressed that next time, he shouldn’t lead with that statement.
We attach such importance to workplace feedback because it is part of the fundamental role of a leader. A good leader strives to make people become better, and one of the best mechanisms to do this is through feedback. Done well, it elevates your team and becomes a key part of your leadership skills. Done poorly - delivered at the wrong time, without a future focus, or without consideration of how it's received - that same feedback can be harmful.
I invite you to share your own feedback - both on my writing and on this series about feedback. Thank you, as always, for reading.
DeWayne Griffin is Vice President and Chief Data Officer of State Farm.
Security Data and Solutions Architect | Business Information Security Officer | Security and Risk Officer
2yGreat post DeWayne. One thing your shared example reminded me of was a lesson taught to kids early on in piano, or other musical performance. Never stop or falter when you make a mistake. Always keep on playing. The audience may never even realize that mistake, if you stop you call attention to it. Not only do I find that is true in a basic sense, often your audience is not as aware as you are of the details. I find that often when things diverge from the plan you end up with something great you didn’t even realize was there. In keeping moving you almost inherently accept the flow of the new. Thanks for the post!
Lead - Technology Transformation Growth | Midwest Financial Services | Managing Director at Accenture
2yHi DeWayne Griffin, CPCU Thanks for sharing your thoughts. This is absolutely the most critical element of leadership. I like the “Griffin Team Expectations” idea to level set.