We are often asked, “What is the one thing a person ought to do to be a better leader and have a more successful career?”
While it is difficult to narrow down the list to just one thing, there is one that seems to surface over and over again in our research. That one thing is having the ability to ask for and respond to feedback from others. When we look at our 360 survey data we can see an absolute correlation between the ability to ask for feedback and the overall effectiveness of leaders.
And giving effective feedback is a cornerstone coaching skill with major impact on employee engagement, performance management, teamwork, productivity, quality, and safety.
“The feedback report you’re about to receive is a gift,” is often greeted with nervous chuckles. And in some organizations when a manager says to an employee, “I’d like to give you a little feedback,” it often quickens his or her heart rate and sends shivers up their spine.
In a new study we have been conducting, we’ve discovered that employees want feedback. Positive feedback is welcome, but they also want the negative or corrective feedback that most leaders are hesitant to give. Employees want it, leaders hate to give it.
Jack Zenger and Joe Folkman explored this vital coaching and leadership development topic in a webinar. They shared new research about both asking for, and giving feedback, and how to get better at doing both. View the archived webinar here: Feedback: You Need It, Your Employees Want It!
Get a Complimentary Feedback Assessment
Webinar viewers have the opportunity to participate in our Feedback Practices & Perceptions Assessment at no cost. This self-assessment will measure:
- Your desire for giving and receiving positive and negative feedback
- Your overall feelings of self-confidence, since that trait correlates strongly with the desire to give and receive feedback
You can access the assessment here: Feedback Practices and Perceptions Assessment
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