It’s often said that growth doesn’t happen in comfort zones. Few things push leaders out of their comfort zone more than giving and receiving feedback. As we head into another weekend, let’s reflect on the transformative power of feedback and how, as leaders, we can leverage this tool for both personal and team development. Enter “Feedback Fridays.”
Why Fridays Are the Ideal Day for Leaders to Solicit Feedback
Fridays often evoke a sense of closure for the week, a winding down of tasks, and a gearing up for the brief respite of the weekend. But beyond this psychological shift, there are several compelling reasons why Fridays are the perfect day for leaders to seek feedback.
1. Reflection Over Reaction:
After a week of work, individuals are in a reflective mindset. The immediacy of Monday’s tasks or Wednesday’s urgencies has subsided. This distance allows for more thoughtful, less reactive feedback.
2. Summarizing the Week:
Fridays allow team members to provide feedback that encapsulates experiences from the entire week, offering a comprehensive view rather than a piecemeal perspective.
3. Mood & Morale Boost:
Weekends generally bring about a more relaxed mood. By soliciting feedback on Fridays, leaders can harness this positive energy, making the process less intimidating and more collaborative.
4. Preparation for the Week Ahead:
With fresh feedback, leaders can utilize the weekend to reflect and strategize. By Monday, they can initiate actionable steps or communicate any changes, setting a proactive tone for the week.
5. Building a Ritualistic Culture:
When feedback becomes associated with a specific day, like Friday, it creates a ritual. Over time, this ritual fosters a culture of openness, where feedback becomes an anticipated and valued part of the workweek.
6. Provides Closure:
Addressing concerns, acknowledging achievements, or simply opening communication channels at the week’s end can offer closure. Team members head into the weekend feeling heard and valued, and leaders gain insights to ponder.
In essence, Fridays strike a balance between looking back and gearing up for what’s next. By capitalizing on this natural rhythm, leaders can make feedback sessions more effective, fostering a culture of continuous growth and open dialogue.
Feedback: A Two-Way Street
Feedback isn’t just about pointing out what others can do better. It’s an open dialogue where leaders should be prepared to listen, understand, and grow. A leader’s willingness to seek feedback humanizes them, showcasing humility and a commitment to self-improvement.
Actionable Tips to Solicit Feedback
All too often, leaders approach the act of soliciting feedback from a top-down, hierarchical standpoint. Traditional methods, such as demanding immediate answers or making it a mere tick-box exercise, often miss the mark. As a result, they get superficial feedback or, worse, silence, which deprives leaders of the vital insights they need to grow. It’s time to rethink our strategies. So, let’s dive into how leaders can successfully solicit genuine, constructive feedback.
1. Promote Psychological Safety:
If team members fear retaliation or judgment, they’ll hold back. Create an environment where all opinions are valued, ensuring team members feel safe expressing their thoughts.
2. Use Open-Ended Questions:
To extract valuable and actionable feedback, it’s essential to pose questions that guide team members without constraining their responses. Specific, open-ended questions encourage deeper reflection and detailed answers, offering a clearer window into team sentiments and perceptions. Incorporating such questions can pave the way for rich, insightful dialogues that provide a nuanced understanding of the team’s perspective and actionable pathways for improvement.
Eighteen open-ended questions leaders can ask to get feedback from their team:
- How has the guidance I’ve provided you with this week helped you meet your goals?
- What is one specific thing you’d like me to do more or less of?
- How could I have supported you better this week?
- What is one thing you think I can improve as a coach to you?
- How well do you feel I understand and address your learning and development needs?
- How would you describe my feedback style, and one thing about it you’d like to see changed?
- How effectively do you feel I handle conflicts or challenges that arise within the team?
- How can I improve the way I acknowledge and recognize your contributions? What would you like to see in terms of recognition?
- In your experience, how have I been most effective in supporting your projects and initiatives? Where can I do better?
- When you think about our one-on-one sessions, what is particularly beneficial or could be enhanced or changed during our one-on-one sessions?
- Describe when my coaching positively influenced your approach to a task or challenge or when you felt more guidance was needed.
- What is one thing I can do to improve how clear, constructive, and actionable the feedback I provide is for you?
- How can I improve my availability for spontaneous discussions or concerns you might have?
- What methods or techniques most effectively facilitate your learning or skill development?
- What areas do you feel I could better understand or advocate for your professional needs and aspirations?
- What’s one thing you wish I would start doing, stop doing, or continue doing during our coaching sessions?
- How would you describe the balance I strike between offering guidance and allowing autonomy in your role?
- How can I improve being a resource you can turn to for effective strategies and solutions to challenges?
3. Schedule Regular Check-Ins:
An ongoing dialogue ensures continuous growth. Don’t limit feedback to annual reviews.
4. Use Feedback Tools:
Consider anonymous surveys or feedback apps that can offer unfiltered insights.
5. Lead by Example:
Show that you’re open to feedback by proactively making changes based on what you’ve heard.
Accepting Feedback Gracefully
Receiving feedback, especially constructive criticism, can be challenging. Here’s how to best accept feedback:
- Listen Actively: Resist the urge to interrupt or get defensive. Understand the feedback thoroughly before responding.
- Seek Clarification: Ask for examples or further explanation if something is unclear.
- Show Appreciation: Remember, feedback is a tool for growth. Thank the person for their insights, regardless of the nature of the feedback.
- Reflect and Act: Consider the feedback, determine its validity, and then implement changes as necessary.
Following Up: Closing the Feedback Loop
Feedback, while invaluable, is only the beginning of a continuous improvement cycle. It offers a snapshot of perceptions, feelings, and insights, but without action, feedback is merely information. The follow-up, or the act of closing the feedback loop, is where transformation truly occurs. Here’s how leaders can follow up after receiving feedback:
- Communicate Actions Taken: Let your team know what changes you’ve made based on their feedback.
- Review Outcomes: Check in after some time to discuss the impact of the implemented feedback.
- Encourage Continuous Feedback: Promote a culture where feedback is always welcome, not just on Fridays.
More than just a structured ritual, feedback Fridays serve as a compass, offering leaders an unparalleled view into the perspectives of those they lead. Each Friday is an opportunity to unveil the nuances of your leadership style, the areas of strength you may not even be aware of, and the blind spots awaiting illumination.
When leaders earnestly solicit feedback, gather opinions, and develop a narrative of growth, understanding, and mutual respect. Feedback Fridays reinforce the message that every team member’s voice matters and that leadership, at its core, is a journey of continuous evolution.
But remember, the magic of Feedback Fridays isn’t solely in the asking. It’s in the listening, reflecting, acting, and circling back. The feedback loop’s completion is where true transformation lies.
To all the leaders reading this: the insights you seek, the paths to improvement, and the keys to deeper team connections may be just one Feedback Friday away. Embrace this practice, champion its ethos, and let it guide you towards leadership excellence. Your team, your organization, and the leader within you will undoubtedly reap the rewards. So, as Friday dawns, take that step—ask, listen, grow, and inspire.
Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 08:34 am
