The Leadership Pursuit that Enhances All Others
Short-sighted leaders love giving feedback, but seldom seek it. When was the last time you said, “I’d like your feedback.”
Leaders don’t invite feedback because they don’t want it. You may say you don’t have time. But, it’s strange how you make time to give feedback, but not invite it?
The pursuit of feedback enhances all other leadership pursuits. And when leaders grow, everyone around them gets better.
5 ways to pursue feedback:
#1. Get over yourself. If you were as good as you thought, you’d be walking on water. Humility fuels transformation.
#2. Connect feedback to values. For example, GE values “External Focus. Define success through the customer’s eyes ….” Here’s a way to seek feedback connected to “External Focus.”
- What am I doing that makes you believe I define success through the customer’s eyes?
- If you were me, what would you do differently in regards to defining success through the customer’s eyes?
- How might I be devaluing customers?
- How am I making it difficult for others to define success through the customer’s eyes? Easy?
- What could I do this week to define success through customer’s eyes?
#3. Narrow context. After a team meeting, ask for feedback about the way you ran the meeting, for example.
- What did I do that was confusing?
- What did I do that energized/de-energized others?
- If you were me, what would you have done differently?
- Explain intent. “I was trying to move the ball down the field.”
- What worked?
- What hindered my intent?
- What would you suggest I try next time?
#4. Prepare for next time. Suppose you’re preparing to have a tough conversation. Send your plan to a coach or boss and ask for feedback before you begin.
#5. Make the good better. Feedback often focuses on improving what went wrong. Invite feedback to improve what you do well.
What prevents leaders from seeking feedback?
How might leaders actively pursue feedback?
(Tomorrow’s post: It’s one thing to pursue feedback. What are the best responses to feedback?)
Educational leaders, on average, do little to collect and reflect publicly on feedback. Here are my related thoughts https://principalsintraining.wordpress.com/2015/03/31/rate-my-administrator-hold-my-hand-through-the-scary-parts/ and a terrific post in a similar vein from @jkloczko http://sparkleonjen.blogspot.com/2015/03/feedback-dont-freak-out.html.
Thanks Principals…. I appreciate you extending the conversation.
We – as educators in general – are quick to give feedback but hesitant (often resistant) to receive it. It’s a mindset… feedback to some feels like a “grade” instead of a tool to help us improve or re-focus. It also allows us to put ourselves in the shoes of the students we give feedback to every day. We will be better at giving feedback if we will be open to feedback for ourselves.
Regarding Vicki and principalsintraining, I am one of the many who respect teachers very, very much, and believe that teaching is the one profession that makes all other professions possible.
Teachers influence the future, after all who knows who or what your students will become… perhaps the next astronaut, the next scientist or even the next President of America. What continues to strike me as rather odd is when I hear principals and teachers continue to use terms like our “work” rather than our “profession,” or “criticism” vs. “critique,” and to see feedback as principals vs. teachers or “we” vs. “them.” Feedback is constructive and has no polarity. Who’s responsibility is it to point that out and to understand that?
There was a time in medicine when looking at an x-ray that a staff physician would be very tough on interns and 3rd year medical students for not pointing out what was diagnostically obvious on the film of a chest x-ray. That was not feedback, for it was demeaning and destructive and criticizing in the very worst way. Today, we use the word critique: It’s a positive form of feedback that encourages young medical clinicians to speak out with gusto about all they see and all they believe they see before the radiology specialist makes the definitive findings. Everything comes into focus and well-being…errors and all.
Ironically, words matter for teachers. Teachers are professionals at the greatest height.
Dear Dan,
An interesting post!
Liked the tip of seeking feedback with ‘External focus’. Internal feedback is of not much relevance for visionary leaders. They March ahead with task force team of trusted second layer of SBU Heads. They encourage & empower operational managers to accomplish the pre-set goals in time. They usually don’t miss any opportunity to motivate employees to work for the organization & increase their productivity to achieve higher goals.
Good leaders are for Innovation & invest heavily in R& D to take a big leap in business. It’s true that they at times push the select trusted proven performers at the top to suggest what they would do differently if they were in his place.
Thanks Dr. Asher. Great seeing you. It’s been awhile. Thank you for taking time to share your insights.
What if we thought about inviting feedback as an exercise in getting others to think outside their little focused area – thinking BIGGER for the organization….! That’s gotta be a win from all directions!
Thanks Betty. Love your suggestion. I’m always evaluating approaches by asking if they expand or limit. Anything that takes us toward “bigger” leadership is cool.
Great post! I love how you stress getting feedback in specific, behavioral terms. As a trainer and presenter, I always ask for feedback at the end of my presentations. I tell people that I want to perfect my craft, and I can’t do that without their help. If you tell me “good job” I can’t duplicate that in the future. The same thing applies if you say “it was terrible”, I can’t fix that. I simply ask that if there was something specific I did that was beneficial, or helpful, tell me so I can continue that behavior. If there was something specific I did that was distracting, or unhelpful let me know that as well, so I can work to eliminate that behavior.
I have received VERY candid feedback from participants this way, both in person, and anonymously. Some of it hurt at first, but It has all made me a much better speaker and teacher.
It’s very revealing when I still get “good job” from leaders…
There are many times where I had feedback to offer my boss but never felt it would have been received well, so I kept my mouth shut. An important note to remember is to not just ask for it but be willing to accept it without holding it against the giver. Otherwise, any feedback you do receive, if any, will simply be what they think you’ll want to hear.
Thanks Rian. You are right. This post is only half of the equation. The way we receive feedback is the other half. I think I better post on receiving feedback tomorrow.
What prevents leaders from seeking feedback? Metrics. G*ddamn metrics. They are NOT a substitute for qualitative and emotionally impactful human feedback.
Thanks James. Tell me what you really think. 🙂 … I hear you. Numbers matter. People matter more. The last time I checked, people deliver results.