I’m a big fan of giving and receiving feedback. Not just at work, but for all aspects of life. There’s nothing more thoughtful than letting somebody know they are doing a kick-ass job, or that you noticed a trend they may not be aware of that might help them improve. If you frame it right, feedback can be a powerful tool.
The Importance of Feedback
In my engineering leadership roles, I’ve noticed far too many times that people have provided me negative feedback about an individual without giving them that feedback themselves. Feedback is always more powerful and effective coming directly from the source. To help another colleague improve, it’s important to professionally share feedback when something isn’t working, or if something worked really well. I always strive to praise people’s accomplishments publicly (and loudly!), and provide more sensitive feedback in a meeting or casual Slack DM.
If an individual doesn’t know that they should do something differently, they are guaranteed to continue doing the same thing in the future. Not receiving this feedback isn’t fair and prevents individuals from improving.
Performance Reviews: Not the Right Time for New Feedback
Many people are understandably nervous about performance reviews, but, when done right, I find the process can be fulfilling for everybody involved. A thoughtful review can also lead to a better understanding of how individuals can reach their personal and career goals. Something I strive for in performance reviews is for there not to be any surprises, which means sharing feedback regularly throughout the rest of the year. If somebody is surprised by my feedback, I feel I’ve done a poor job as their manager.
A simple strategy to prevent surprises is to immediately share feedback with individuals throughout the year, and to utilize your regular check-ins to discuss in more detail. Feedback doesn’t need to be only areas of improvement – I love talking about anything awesome people have been doing to reinforce healthy habits and let people know that they are kicking ass.
Paying It Forward
I, personally, have found receiving feedback helpful for my career and even outside of work. The times that feedback was never given to me have felt like a disservice, so I always make it a point to provide feedback to others and be transparent with people, even if it’s somebody I don’t manage directly.
If it’s provided in a professional way and with clear positive intent, others will appreciate you creating a culture of feedback and will likely pass it on to others on your team.