Harnessing Feedback for Executives: A Path to Enhanced Performance
WRITTEN February 3, 2021
Making Feedback Work for Your Executive Team
At Improving Communications, we most often work with companies on growing their communication soft skills such as public speaking and leadership. However, a big part of professional growth is often just learning how to give and receive feedback. And feedback for executive teams can be a game-changer for improving performance and getting great results.
Why Feedback Matters for Executives
Feedback gives you a fresh perspective and helps fill in the blanks in your own view. Senior executives often think they’re too busy or too experienced to need feedback, but everyone can benefit from it, including those at the top. Feedback for executives is crucial because it helps identify areas for improvement that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Performance-related feedback needs to be a part of every job, even at the C-suite level.
Good managers keep an eye on how their employees are doing and give them the guidance they need to succeed. Great managers also welcome feedback and make changes to get even better results. It needs to be a two-way street.
The Ups and Downs of Feedback
We all expect managers to give feedback to their employees. But what about when a coworker or even someone you manage gives you feedback? It can feel weird or even rude. “Why is someone who isn’t my boss telling me how to do my job?”
In some company cultures, it might feel strange for a senior executive to get feedback from a coworker or someone they manage. This often arises when it is a top-down business, where authority is determined by a spot on the organizational chart.
Why Coworker and Employee Feedback is Valuable
The truth is, the people you work with every day have a lot to offer. They see how you work and might notice things your boss doesn’t. While your boss might assign tasks and check on progress, it’s your coworkers and employees who work with you day-to-day on the stuff that keeps the company running.
Using 360-Degree Feedback
No matter what your company culture is like, there are ways to get feedback from your colleagues. One great method is called 360-degree or multi-rater feedback. This collects input from people at all levels and puts it together into a complete picture of your performance.
One big plus of 360-degree feedback is that it helps avoid any awkwardness and gets you the feedback you need to improve relationships and get more done.
Feedback and Performance Management
Feedback works best when it’s part of a bigger plan for managing performance. Executives know what’s expected of them. Being open to feedback, and aligning with those expectations, is a benefit for everyone involved.
Can I Offer Direct Feedback To My Coworker?
So, why is a specific process is required for someone to share feedback with a coworker or supervisor? Everyone is used to real-time feedback from managers, shouldn’t people be professional enough to listen to a well-intentioned remark from a colleague?
The reality is that comments (especially negative ones) from a coworker are rarely well-received. Even a compliment does not always end up being constructive. These occasional critiques are often praise or criticism, with no middle ground. It is rare that a peer sharing feedback tells the recipient what they did well and where they stand to improve.
This type of critique can be reactive and in the moment, so it lacks a solution or vision going forward. People tend to be more open to constructive feedback when the entire situation is considered. They appreciate when specific examples of how they can avoid pitfalls the next time are included.
The most difficult scenario is when a comment from a coworker stems from self-interest. Instead of a concern to help their colleague to improve at their job, it comes from a place of “make my job easier” or “help me look better.” If this motivation is transparent, the person on the receiving end will never take the feedback to heart. So be careful.
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
Learn more about Improving Communications 360-degree coaching program and services – visit our calendar for our upcoming public class schedule.
Other Resources:
5 Reasons Why Feedback is Important
What to Do When Asked to Give Feedback on My Manager’s Performance (With 11 Examples)
How to give constructive criticism to your manager and coworkers.
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