Delivering feedback is a key leadership skill. In theory, feedback is merely information provided to recipients about their behaviour or performance – and can be negative or positive. In practice, negative feedback – even well-intentioned, constructive criticism – is harder to deliver as it frequently triggers emotions such as sadness and anger alongside behaviours such as defensiveness and attacks on the feedback giver.
As a result, the effectiveness of negative feedback often comes down to the reaction it provokes rather than the words chosen. Useful feedback elicits curiosity, self-insight and a willingness to change – which can all be checked through two-way conversation rather than merely by communicating information at the recipient.
Being more senior than the recipient does not guarantee that you will be heard
It is worth emphasising how much feedback matters. In a major meta-analysis, researchers Brian Connelly and Deniz Ones found that observers were ‘substantially’ more accurate at predicting an individual’s performance than the individuals themselves. Many people overestimate their own abilities; some underestimate them. The data is clear: onlookers are usually better judges of our strengths and weaknesses than we are.
Who gives the feedback?
To give effective feedback, your standing as the person giving feedback matters. Being more senior than the recipient does not guarantee that you will be heard. A study led by Georgia Institute of Technology’s Donald Fedor suggests that the sources of a leader’s influence may determine how much improvement occurs. Expert power and referent power – being perceived as technically knowledgeable and being genuinely liked and trusted – were linked to recipients actually improving after receiving negative feedback. Coercive power and reward power, ie the kinds that come purely from being able to punish or reward, led to little improvement.
In other words, feedback receivers do not automatically respond just because it comes from someone with a senior job title and formal authority. If your feedback is not grounded in what recipients perceive to be deep professional credibility or a trusting relationship, don’t be surprised if it is ignored. Consider a change in framing from ‘You need to fix this otherwise you face consequences’ to ‘I am telling you this because I think you have real potential and I want to help you build a great career’.
When employees feel understood by their leaders, they become more willing to listen
One of the best ways to help people to respond well to feedback is when they ask for it in the first place. A study by Jing Qian at Beijing Normal University found that employees requested more feedback when they perceived that their leaders were good listeners. When employees feel understood by their leaders, they in turn become more willing to listen.
Feedback often triggers defensiveness when it refers to global traits – for example, ‘You’re lazy’ or ‘You’re not strategic enough’. Feedback triggers less defensiveness when tied to specific observations – for example, ‘Last Thursday you didn’t finish that project, so the operations manager called you lazy’. Before giving feedback, identify the specific moments you wish to discuss and describe what was seen or said. Avoid mentioning sweeping adjectives.
All about timing
Timing also matters. In organisational settings, studies have generally found that immediate feedback improves performance more than delayed feedback. Leaders who rely on the annual performance appraisal as the main opportunity to deliver feedback rarely improve employee performance much. Effective leaders tend to give frequent, informal feedback – often within days or even hours of behaviours they want to address.
Get the trust and timing right, and the words may matter less
There is no simple formula for effective feedback. Two individuals can respond differently to identical words. As an example, a study led by the University of Florida’s Mo Wang found that older employees were more receptive to feedback framed in terms of their impact on workplace relationships. In contrast, younger employees responded better to feedback couched in terms of their ability to achieve desired career goals. Older people focused more on social consequences; younger employees focused more on personal consequences.
Further studies have found that individual traits matter greatly. Rather than giving an exhaustive list, perhaps the best advice is to consider each of your employees as individuals. What is the best way to phrase feedback so that each particular individual stays open-minded to the message and genuinely wants to change?
In summary, feedback is not about a script to follow but a relationship that needs to be built. Get the trust and timing right, and the precise words themselves may matter less than is commonly assumed.
More information
Watch Dr Rob Yeung’s video for tips on giving constructive criticism in the workplace
