6 Tips for Framing Constructive Feedback to Your Team

Editor’s note: This piece is part of our Columnist Network series, which explores the tactical thoughts and actions from Adweek’s community of high-level experts. Today, Rishad Tobaccowala shares his weekly newsletter—below are his thoughts on the importance of giving and seeking out constructive feedback within teams. To grow, one needs to continuously improve. A key ingredient to improvement is feedback. Feedback, however, is both difficult to give and receive. Feedback challenges are even more pronounced these days due to three factors:Covid-19: An increasingly sensitive workforce emerging from a year of Covid-19-driven challenges with heightened emotions and changed mindsets.DEI: A concern that criticism may be taken as a form of insensitivity or discrimination as companies rightly focus on ensuring diversity, equity and inclusion.Polarization: A polarized social and political environment. Best practices suggest that there are six approaches that can help people give and accept feedback in ways that recognize these and other realities: Focus on how the task or the process could have been improved, rather than criticizing the person. By focusing on how an assignment could be done better, the emphasis is on the product and not the person. Compare the shortfalls to a higher standard that might have been met on another project. By recalling assignments where the individual or team did a great job, one reinforces to the person or team that they are capable of having done better. The emphasis is on what was less than ideal on this occasion rather than believing the individual or team is incapable of doing a good job. Make yourself sensitive to and aware of extenuating circumstances. We all have bad days, and many times these are a result of something else distracting or worrying us in our lives. It may be illness, family issues or other challenges. Empathizing with an individual indicates both concern and humanity. Provide specific input about what could be improved. Pointing out what went wrong or what was less than optimal is only half of feedback. The more important half is showing, teaching or guiding on how one can improve. Identify steps, training or changes that need to be made. Identify the next opportunity or project for a do-over. Showing how one can improve, then identifying an upcoming opportunity to put the feedback to work, concentrates the mind and channels emotions to action and the possibility of correcting the shortfall. Provide personal help and perspective. If feedback is provided in the context of what others have struggled with over the years, or how you may have learned and improved, it lets people know that mistakes are par for the course in career growth. Also, asking how you can help reinforces that you are on the person's side and are committed to helping them improve. The importance of holding ourselves accountable to feedback If we do not get continuous feedback, we begin to lose our edge and slowly wither into mediocrity. This happens for a variety of reasons, including those discussed earlier but also because we may be too senior and believe we do not need it, or because people are afraid to offer it. Many of us may not get feedback unless we actively solicit, listen and are sensitive to nuances and signals. We should all be concerned if we do not get feedback of some sort because it may mean we aren't being valued, are being put out to pasture, are considered too difficult or prickly to deal with or have a reputation as a bully who will punish anyone pointing out faults. Three ways to ensure one is getting feedback are: Scan for signals. People are constantly providing feedback, even if they are not vocalizing it. In some instances, you may gauge it in numerical signals from how well your writing is read, reacted to or shared, or whether you are invited to key meetings. Other times, there's feedback through facial and body language. You learn a lot by reading a room or a Zoom gallery. Ask for feedback on a regular basis. One can do this with three simple questions, framed to ensure people are comfortable helping you since they are positive in tone: What worked well? If/when I do this next time, what could be better? Who do you think does what I need to do well, and where can I learn more? Do an end-of-day/week self-review. Most people know in their gut what went well and what did not. Many successful individuals end the day or week with some variation of this quick review: The work: What went well with my work product that makes me feel proud to sign it, and what could have gone better?The team: What felt good and productive in the way I interacted with people, and where could I have been better handling my own or someone else’s emotions?The improvement: What improvement did I manage to make, such as learning a new habit or approach or strengthening a relationship? Compound improvement One improves slowly over time. Some days one improves, and other days there are setbacks that one learns from. A practice of continuous improvement is what drives success. The day we stop learning, we stop growing and we begin dying. Being accountable for our own feedback, and being comfortable helping others with feedback to unleash their growth, is a sign not just of successful businesspeople, but also people who find success in every component of life. Happiness is not necessarily where you start but where you are going and how you get better. Feedback is a key to growth and the journey forward.

Columnist Network

6 Tips for Framing Constructive Feedback to Your Team

Being open to improving your work is a sign of success

Rishad Tobaccowala

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Rishad Tobaccowala