Feedback can be a controversial term because opinions often differ as to just what it means to give good feedback. Many of us have experienced negative feedback and appreciate that it does not necessarily lead to improvement.
So how do you create a good feedback culture, and why is it important to provide it? In a new instalment of the Technical Coaching track, José Enrique Rodríguez Huerta, MD and Technical Coach in Codurance Spain, offers us some great tools, reflections and tactics to create positive feedback, along with ways that you can implement it as a good practice within your teams.
"Giving bad feedback can hinder your ability to help other people," the coach explains, adding that it is essential to be clear about the purpose of what we are going to say. Usually, we are looking for a behaviour change, so we need to be clear about the intention behind what we are saying, and for this, we need a crucial concept; context.
So, if we have to list the 'components' of feedback, they can be summarised as follows:
In a team, it is essential to create a culture in which people ask for and give feedback; that's the first step. Each team member must learn to listen to the comments of others before knowing how to provide their own because this exercises the willingness to be open to new learnings and to ask for advice on what they want to improve.
Rodríguez Huerta argues that "all feedback is a gift"; even if it sometimes comes in unpleasant packaging; it can be a learning experience. Implementing a mindset where your team is willing to receive feedback is essential because it leads to an openness where the team will listen to new ideas and share their own.
So the first step is to work on creating the habit of asking for feedback from others.
The technical coach explains that it's not necessary to give immediate answers to the feedback received, i.e. to try to explain or justify oneself but to practice active listening and leave the door open to what can help us to improve. "Be open to what you are told, even if it is not what we want to hear," he says.
An interesting tool is Marshall Rosenberg's Nonviolent Communication scheme, which helps to communicate and listen while respecting the 'space' of the other without judging or criticising. The steps, and an example, are:
Observation (non-judgmental) - We agreed to meet at 8:00 and you arrived at 9:00.
Feeling (what I feel about the observation) - That makes me think you don't value my time.
Need (what I need to satisfy) - I want to have ownership over my time and feel valued.
Request (not a demand) - Next time you are late, please let me know or cancel the meeting so I can plan ahead.
Another tool is Chris Argyris' Ladder of Inference. This model helps us analyse how we make inferences from our observations and act on those conclusions without checking whether they are valid. Using this can help us understand whether we are reacting through our own assumptions rather than being objective and using empathy.
Once the team has adopted the practice of asking for feedback, we can then teach people to give it positively. To do this, prepare and offer some positive feedback, focusing on something that is straightforward, easy to deal with and is noncontroversial. It is important to focus on being specific and always talk about the issue and not the person, whether it is a presentation, a code review, etc.
Rodríguez Huerta recommends instilling a collaborative approach to problem management in which all ideas contribute to finding a solution, rather than a sandwich approach in which you say something positive only to say then what you really think. "It is better to say constructively what you think and be open to a conversation to arrive at a joint solution," he says. He also advises avoiding anonymous comments because they are not open to dialogue.
This session is part of a circuit on Technical Coaching. You can find previous episodes in our youtube playlist. You can also access Rodríguez's miro board or register for future register for future events here.
Check also our related session on how to shape the culture of your team.
