Feedback is a gift. It is given to others to help them learn and develop.
It requires close attention from the giver and has to be a part of a regular committment where it is received in a trusted way.
To give great feedback, you need to have a relationship with the recipient; that means they trust you and that your reasons for giving feedback are of value and fair.
There are four types of feedback and I am grateful to Mark Rose at Creative Edge Training for these definitions.
Positive
This type of feedback applies to situations where someone has performed well. It often consists of simple praise and appreciation. “You’re one of my best people“, “That was a good piece of work”, “You’ve done well“.
Negative
This type of feedback – often merely replays something that went wrong. It is essentially destructive and despite being quite common, provides little if any benefit. You’re always complaining”, “That was rubbish“, “You need to get your act together“.
Constructive
This type of feedback guides and encourages someone to reflect on their current performance and recognise how they could build improvements into this the next time. It often contains an element of both positive and negative feedback and needs to be delivered sensitively. “You were late” and not opinions “You are lazy“.
None!
Despite being the most common type of feedback used by many managers, of course it doesn’t really exist!”
It’s so worth using feedback on a regular and consistent basis with each and every one of your people and, if you really want to accelerate your own growth as a manager, be very receptive to others giving it to you too.
