Why Feedback When You Can Feed-Forward?

Tips for Effective Coaching Conversations

As a leader, I’ve always looked at the annual performance review process as an opportunity to celebrate our team’s continued value to the organization.  I anticipate conversations that generate the plan forward for another successful year.  The perspective from the individual being reviewed can be completely opposite, with them feeling highly stressed and anxious about what will be discussed.  The feedback we offer can put them on the defensive, mostly because the intent of our message isn’t understood and can leave them feeling undervalued.  While there is time to discuss the previous year and what was accomplished, I challenge you to adjust your communication to one in which we feed-forward the continued development of our teams.  Joe Hirsh, author of The Feedback Fix, says it best with his REPAIR acronym (regenerates, expands, particular, authentic, impact, refines).  Remember these outcomes that can be generated through the feed-forward process:

• It regenerates talent – people see opportunity for growth.
• It expands possibilities – rather than simply pointing out out problems, you help expand what’s possible.
• It is particular – feedback is often given in an information dump type style, and there is a limit to what our teams an absorb at any given time.
• It is authentic – it provides a direct approach, describing what is happening, why it’s a problem and then prompts the person for a solution.
• It has impact – Hirsch notes “if you want people to make an impact, you have to put it in terms that people can operationalize.”
• It refines group dynamics – communication isn’t used only in one-on-one scenarios, but rather creates collaboration across the organization.

By Mindy Curtiss…Mindy is an HR Director with Kent Companies who I have known for a few years and has given permission to publish this article.

Dave Baney is the founder and CEO of 55 Questions, LLC and the author of “The 3×5 coach: A practical Guide to Coaching Your Team for Greater Results and Happier People”, which is now available in Paperback or a Kindle version at https://tinyurl.com/y8ecykfy

At 55 Questions, we work with successful top executives with a driving ambition to crus their competition. We help CEOs and Entrepreneurs improve alignment, communication, and accountability throughout their organization. www.55Questions.com

Follow Dave on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davebaney55questions/