How to build a confident feedback leader
I’ve hired dozens of new managers to work with, and there’s a pattern I see repeatedly. They know they should give feedback, but fear holds them away. The data confirms that this is not isolated. You’ve probably seen it, as about 70% of managers struggle to give direct feedback, mainly because they’re afraid to hurt emotions.
This fear causes serious business problems. Employees are hungry for feedback. 63% want guidance “at this time.” This gap between employee desires and their reality is very important. When employees receive meaningful feedback frequently, engagement increases dramatically. Gallup found that 80% of employees who received meaningful feedback within the past week are fully engaged [1].
Feedback barrier cost
When managers suffer from feedback barriers, everyone loses. An organization with a very enthusiastic workforce is superior to its peers with 23% higher profitability [2]. I’ve seen countless plays this. Not only is feedback the norm, but it is a team whose expectations are consistently outperforming those whose managers are silent.
If feedback is part of the culture, it will appear everywhere, from a full team project reflection to one-on-one each week. For example, after the launch of a major product, many effective managers gather together teams to discuss what worked and what didn’t. They make it safe to share concerns and suggestions. This sense of security grows from the trust that is often developed through regular check-in between the manager and its reports, and can provide specific feedback on recent work. Managers who make feedback normal will build better teams that improve performance.
Break through fear
For talent leaders, the challenges are clear. How do you help managers overcome feedback barriers? Many companies find the answer by focusing new focus on activity-based training that allows them to practice skills in the workflows that help them develop habits and drive behavioral change. With further pushes, the results of activities personalized to each learner can be measured for their impact on level 3 and 4 metrics of the business. This is the basics of what works:
1. Practice in the real world
Traditional classroom training is not sufficient. As 70% of learning occurs at work, managers should practice giving feedback in real-life situations [3]. This means providing managers with specific activities that they can try during their actual work days. For example, a manager can receive training activities by following the steps below:
Apply to team members who have recently given feedback. Discuss whether they have implemented your feedback or found an opportunity to capitalize on the strength you emphasized. We will work together to set small, specific goals for the coming weeks based on our progress so far, and agree to check in again in two weeks. Make it clear that you can help and support them along the way.
These activities not only provide new or passive managers with growth opportunities, but they are also part of doing well at the job. You don’t have to stop working to achieve your training. Training occurs in the course of work.
2. Personalized development path
That particular activity can be more or less difficult depending on your manager. All managers start somewhere else. Some are directly in nature, but we need the help of empathy. Others are empathetic, but they struggle with clarity. We found that personalising training for each manager’s style will dramatically improve the results. In my own business, I use AI to create customized learning pathways, but I can get started by simply creating different content tracks for new and experienced managers.
3. Measure important things
The main challenge facing talent leaders is to prove the effectiveness of their training and ROI poses on L&D investments. To address this long-standing issue, some companies have implemented A/B testing to measure the effectiveness of their training initiatives. Rather than implementing a new training program for all managers, you can take a more scientific approach. You can provide that training to one group of managers, extending the other groups from the training or offering another program. Next, track how each training impacted a team’s engagement score or retention over time. This approach introduces statistically important metrics regarding the business impact of the L&D initiative.
Conclusion
Through feedback practices in the workflow, new and passive managers can begin to break through the barriers of fear and build enthusiastic teams to strengthen the entire business. Talent leaders have new paths to help managers hesitate to receive these new feedback. Implement activity-based feedback training that occurs in the workflow. This gives managers the time to practice necessary to build confidence and competence, and most importantly change habits and behaviors. Finally, don’t forget to measure the impact of training initiatives on business outcomes. After all, the goal is not just feedback, but better business outcomes.
References:
[1] The most important habits of a great manager
[2] Employee engagement and experience
[3] Truth about learning: Why is 70-20-10 important?
