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      KEYZINE: An e-zine for LEADERS:
     ABOUT THE PEOPLE PART OF BUSINESS
                 Volume 41, August 2004
    Publisher: © Key Associates, 2004
              ISSN # 1545-8873
           http://www.mkkey.com

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This Issue: On "Feedback"

This is a monthly electronic magazine for anyone 
who wants to be a better leader, coach, facilitator, 
or simply, to tune up their people skills.  It is a 
complimentary publication, devoted to the next
evolution of Quality Thinking.

View Earlier Issues

Contents:

• What's Hot in Leadership
• Maintaining Yourself as a Leader
• Frequently Asked Questions from Leaders
• Educational Opportunities
• Useful Websites
• Articles/Publications

 

Feedback is a term that psychologist, Kurt Lewin,
borrowed from rocket science.  A rocket emits signals 
to its earth station, which then uses the signals to course
correct the rocket's pathway.  Translation: Feedback
is for course correction.

 

"Feedback is a gift."
           -- Terry Howell, Executive Learning, Inc. 

 

"We would rather be ruined by praise than saved
by criticism."
           -- Norman Vincent Peale

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WHAT'S HOT IN LEADERSHIP
**************************************
AN ORGANIZATION COURSING WITH 
FEEDBACK FROM CUSTOMERS, EMPLOYEES, 
MANAGERS.

USING THAT FEEDBACK FOR CONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT OF ALL PROCESSES AND
SYSTEMS.

REPLACING OLD ANNUAL PERFORMANCE
APPRAISALS WITH ONGOING PERFORMANCE
COACHING AND FEEDBACK.

SHAPING FEEDBACK AS A GIFT.

BEING HONEST WITH PEOPLE ABOUT THEIR
IMPACT, AS PART OF BEING IN AUTHENTIC 
RELATIONSHIPS.

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MAINTAINING YOURSELF AS A LEADER
***************************************
Leaders get almost no balanced, accurate feedback.
Invite critique of your leadership.  How else can 
you improve?

Here's a story Margaret Wheatley tells about
Dick Knowles' Dupont chemical plant in West Virginia.  
The company was seeking a perfect safety record.  
Leadership put out 18 values they felt strongly about,
re: people, leadership, etc.  Then they told employees 
that it was their job to tell management when their 
behavior was incongruent with these values--
FEEDBACK!  Because of this framing, people 
began to focus on their own behavior while trying 
to catch management off course.  Within one year, 
everyone had adopted the values, and injuries 
went from 83 to 0 and held at 0 for 18 months.

The change happened because leaders invited 
feedback and changed themselves, in doing so.

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
**************************************
I duck when I hear the word feedback, and so 
do most of my associates. 

Feedback has gotten a very bad rap, for the most part.
People have veered from feedback, either from 
fear of "negative" feedback or discomfort with 
delivering highly favorable feedback.

First, get away from the terms Positive and
Negative Feedback.  I like the words, "Reinforcing"
and "Redirecting."  The latter fits with Lewin's
rocket science idea and systems thinking.

Second, make the intention or purpose of the
feedback absolutely clear.  Let me offer an 
introductory invitation to receive feedback, 
that has worked for me: "If I knew of something
that would help you be more successful, would
you want to hear about it?" Make sure your 
intention is truly to help that person.

There is no substitute for qualitative, face-to-face, 
well-constructed, well-meaning feedback.
Employees will tell you they like feedback, 
when it is narrative, anecdotal and customized 
to them in their personal situation.

So what are the qualities of good feedback?

Good feedback is:

* Descriptive
* Behavioral
* Specific
* Timely (close to the behavior)
* Given in manageable amounts
* About behavior that can be changed
* Owned by the provider of the feedback ("I" statement)

and is not:

* Purely evaluative
* Vague or ambiguous
* Labeling or stereotyping
* Exaggerated
* Attributing motive
* Delayed
* Lengthy
* Complicated
* Shaming or blaming 

Example: "That report you prepared was well-written,
brief, and made your points well."  Not "good report."