Being able to provide and receive feedback is an essential skill for growth and improvement, both in the workplace and beyond. It gives you the chance to course correct, or to keep improving when you are already doing well. No matter where you are in your career journey, understanding the art of giving and receiving effective feedback can boost your personal and professional development.
In this article, we'll delve into the nuances of effective feedback, explore its significance in the workplace, discuss different feedback approaches, and provide practical tips for creating an environment that fosters open and constructive feedback exchanges.
Why feedback is so important in the workplace
Feedback isn't simply nice to have—it's a powerful catalyst for growth and progress. Feedback is a way to set expectations and measure if you’re meeting the agreed upon standard. Without continuous and effective feedback, it can feel like you are driving without a map. In a professional setting, constructive feedback helps individuals and teams identify strengths and areas for improvement. It bridges the gap between where we are and where we aspire to be, propelling us toward higher levels of performance. Effective feedback encourages accountability, enhances communication, and cultivates a culture of continuous learning.
Feedback is an essential driver of growth, serving as a means to establish expectations, navigate progress, and bridge gaps in a professional context, fostering accountability, communication, and a culture of ongoing learning.
Feedback can be active and passive
Feedback comes in a variety of ways, both active and passive.
Active feedback can take many different forms, such as scheduling one-on-one meetings as needed, a standing appointment, or team feedback sessions. These meetings can be set as speedbacks, where 5 minutes are spent with every member of the team, or slowbacks, which are a longer amount of time with just one team member. End-of-the-day deltas are another good practice when establishing fast feedback with new partners, roles or responsibilities. Scheduling feedback for novel events such as giving a talk or leading a meeting is a great way to get timely feedback. It’s best to give your feedback person a heads up before the event so they know what areas to listen for or be aware of.
Passive feedback, on the other hand, includes non-verbal cues, body language, and even the absence of acknowledgment. Recognizing the subtle signals of passive feedback is just as important as engaging in active feedback conversations.
When you make comments with your team, you’re giving people feedback, so make sure it counts. The first step in doing so is to figure out what behavior is beneficial and point that out in a positive manner. Don’t just say things like, “good job” or “nice presentation,” because it doesn’t help people grow, nor does it show people what made it a great presentation. Instead focus on an aspect, skill, or area that was beneficial. For example, if you want your team to be comfortable asking questions, then positively acknowledge every question asked. If a person went out of their comfort zone or pointed out a hard opinion, then acknowledge their efforts.
In short, passive feedback encompasses praise given in team spaces and written communication, and should ultimately focus on reinforcing behaviors you want to see continue.
Written communications via Slack or email can be powerful, but also really tricky because the reader can miss a lot of information. Tone, context, and intent are all up to the reader to infer. Try not to put any constructive feedback in a public channel on Slack because it’s easy to miss the balance between helpful and rude. Emojis can help clarify intent as long as they are professional and not excessive. The big thing to remember is once you press enter, your comment will live forever.
What you will notice with each of these is that they are only positive feedback. That’s because if you give indirect feedback that is supposed to be constructive in passing or slightly out of ear shot, it sounds more like gossip and that won’t help.
Creating a safe and engaging feedback space
To encourage healthy feedback exchanges, it's important to foster an environment where everyone feels comfortable sharing their thoughts. Establishing psychological safety is key—ensuring that feedback is seen as an opportunity for growth, not a critique of personal worth. (You can read more on the topic in this blog post.) It’s important to encourage open dialogue, active listening, and empathy on the team. Avoid triggering a person's fight or flight mechanism by ensuring that all feedback is professional and about a behavior, not a personality.
- Feedback should always be beneficial
- Invite feedback and set a positive tone
- Make feedback and meetings more inclusive
- Be available and approachable
- Mistakes are learning opportunities NOT problems
Have your team actively engaged in a feedback culture by establishing the expectation as early as possible. You can bring down the barrier or fear of feedback by giving everyone the tools they need to start practicing thoughtful feedback. Create clear expectations, give frameworks, prompts—the whole toolkit—and set the tone of constructive feedback by modeling the feedback culture you’re trying to build.
How to receive hard feedback
Receiving challenging feedback can be tough, but it's a vital skill to master. Approach such situations with an open and growth-oriented mindset and appreciate that someone took the time to help you grow. By mastering the art of thoughtfully receiving hard feedback, you can change the dynamic for all future feedback and reduce tension.
There are four pointers that can help you become a pro at handling tough feedback.
- Steer clear of defensiveness – While it may be a challenge, it’s important to avoid. A knee-jerk reaction can be to jump in with explanations that can come across as defensive. Instead, practice active listening. Take a moment to hear the feedback without feeling the need to immediately explain yourself.
- Stop calculating what you will think of next and stay in the moment – Repeat back some of the things you are hearing to make sure you are understanding correctly. Ask questions and get curious.
- Assume positive intent – The person giving you feedback should be coming to you with your professional growth in mind. They are probably just as uncomfortable, so acknowledge their efforts in this too. Even if you feel that the feedback you received wasn’t correct, it’s important to remember that the behavior or situation gave someone pause. So while the solution or all of the feedback might not be useful, it’s a great place to start identifying an area that needs improvement.
- Ask for a moment to process – One way to request the time you need could be, “I’m having a hard time thinking through this. I’m going to take some time to reflect and come back to you.” If you do ask for a break, it’s crucial to go back to the person so it doesn’t feel like you have blown them off.
Frameworks and prompts
Several frameworks and prompts can guide effective feedback conversations. Let’s set up a scenario where a co-worker is constantly late for a morning meeting, and take a look at how the feedback can look with each framework.
One popular model is the Situation, Behavior, Impact (SBI) method. Describe the situation, detail the specific behavior observed, and explain the impact it had.
For example:
The team has set stand up time at 9 AM.
[Situation] You’ve been late in the morning three times this week.
[Behavior] You don’t give us a heads up if you’re going to be late so we are wondering where you are and when we should start.
[Impact] That means we spend morning team time confused, burning some productive development time.
Another framework is Actionable, Specific, Kind (ASK). Start with an actionable issue, be specific in your request and make sure it is delivered in a kind manner.
For example:
“Can you please be ready to work at 9:00 AM every day, or call in so we can continue with our meeting. If there’s something going on with you personally we’re here for you.”
A third framework is Observation, Feelings, Needs and Actions (OFNA). It’s important when using this framework to only talk about your own feelings and not bring in others. It can easily feel as if people are speaking behind someone’s back if you say the team feels, or we feel.
For example:
“I’ve noticed that you’ve been late to stand up and I feel frustrated by waiting. We really need to start stand up at 9:00. What can we do to get you at work, or help work around your schedule?”
Another approach is the Goal, Reality, Options, Will (GROW) model. Explore the individual's goals, assess the current reality, brainstorm options, and commit to action. This model is best suited when the individual is already aware of the area to improve.
For example:
“I would love to see your updates ready for stand up at 9 AM, but it seems like you have conflicting meetings and/or commitments that are getting in the way. It’s important that the team gets your updates, and maybe stand up isn’t the only way to share them. What’s another way you think we can hear your updates and not delay the team?”
Some prompts that can help jump-start a feedback session can look like
- Is there any area you would like feedback on?
- How do you feel you're doing on the team?
- How do you see your role on the team?
- What are you worried about most?
- What are you most excited/passionate about?
- What do you want to learn more about?
The dos and don’ts of feedback
The following are best practices to incorporate and pitfalls to avoid when receiving and giving feedback:
Dos
- Assume positive intent
- Use clear language
- Give feedback as immediate as possible
- Be direct
- Give the feedback because it’s helpful
- Give positive feedback publicly
- Talk about behavior
Don’ts
- Give a compliment sandwich (i.e., compliment, constructive criticism, compliment)
- Wait
- Be rude
- Avoid feedback because it’s hard
- Give constructive feedback publicly
- Talk about personality
Mastering the art of giving and receiving feedback is an ongoing journey. Embrace feedback as a tool for growth, both personally and professionally. By understanding its importance, creating a conducive environment, and honing your feedback skills, you can contribute to a workplace culture that values improvement, collaboration, and excellence.
Contact us to learn more about how VMware Tanzu Labs builds teams and products with fast feedback.
Dive deeper: essential feedback resources
- Speedback – A foundational article discussing the efficiency and effectiveness of rapid feedback loops in the workplace. Read more.
- Plus-delta feedback – An exploration into the "plus-delta" method of feedback, emphasizing on what went well and what could change for improvement. Explore the insights.
- Psychological safety in the workplace – Understand the importance of creating a safe space for feedback, where employees feel valued and not threatened. Discover the elements.
- Boosting agile team happiness – Dive into the strategies that can enhance team satisfaction and how feedback plays a crucial role in this process. Engage in the dialogue.
- Rethinking the feedback sandwich – An article by Adam Grant on Medium that discusses the pitfalls of the common feedback sandwich method and advocates for a more effective approach. Learn more.
