11 Fall Forward with Feedback — Gutsy Leadership Academy

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Fall Forward with Feedback

Welcome! Please watch the introduction of this module below before you get started:

Rationally people know what feedback is and yet many don't ask for it. Why? There is a fear attached to feedback. What if it's negative? There are also those yellow alerts we spoke about in the module: "Taking 100% Responsibility". It's easier for us to look the other way sometimes because it's easier for us to get through the day and ignore it, then addressing it head on. Now we have to DO something about it, right? On the flip side, you can feel when people don't care to hear feedback, it's easier for them to keep doing what they do on their terms. In those cases, it can quickly turn into an organizational risk if you don't have something in writing and set aside time formally to talk to them about it.

Let's talk about giving feedback and listening to feedback as a leader. Are you giving critical feedback to your direct reports, staff or peers? Is one person slacking off on your team or has a peer not followed through on a commitment? How will that affect you and your work environment now if you too choose to sweep it under the rug? Is it their responsibility to speak up and say "I know I screwed up. I missed that deadline or didn't follow up with that customer or patient."? Maybe, but that doesn't take you off the hook as a leader. Keep in mind, not everyone with management responsibilities, needs to lead. Similarly, you don't need to have a management or leadership title to lead either. This program is making the commitment to having a leadership mindset, irrespective of where you are in your career.

As a parent, partner, daughter or son, if you knew you could improve your relationship 200% with your child, other half or parents, by asking for feedback on a consistent basis, would you do it? On the right-hand side of this screen, I give you several scripts where you can implement feedback: with your team, during a performance review, with your management, with past colleagues. Tweak these scripts to suit your personality and style, but be sure to make the points given to you here.

Training Video 1:

Training Video 2:

Behind the Scenes with Marisa Santoro

Feedback is a tricky thing. It's hard to digest honest feedback, and not all feedback is true but regardless it's important that you use it as a key form of communication in your toolkit.

You cannot course correct without it. So even if you feel you've done a fantastic job on a project or in your practice, the picture can be a very different perspective when you sit down and have a conversation with someone.

If you believe the universe is growing, than you must also believe that we are changing everyday. We have to evolve and find a new means of survival over time. Once upon a time, there were no gas or electric stoves. People cooked their dinner over flames and brush they collected. They learned that if the wood was too wet, their fire wouldn't start. They learned if they put their hand too close to the fire they would get burned. They learned ways to catch their dinner to remain alive. All of this was feedback that helped them course-correct but more importantly live better more easier lives. When you think about feedback this way, you'll see it's really a non-negotiable if you wish to maintain a growth mindset.

From my experience coaching and training over the years, most people don't ask for feedback or give feedback for that matter, because they don't want to deal with it. They don't want to hear it if it's bad and they don't want to give it out if it's negative. It's easy to sweep these conversations under the rug and feign ignorance even though later on, you run the risk of dealing with a poor staff situation, delayed projects or managing a perception to defend your performance. Make it a consistent part of the culture and after a while, it just becomes part of the fabric you are weaving in as a leader.

When I look back at the times in my life when I chose to ignore feedback, I recognized patterns and how I could have been more successful in that relationship or on that project. This is not a blame game, but more of an awareness game. Feedback will inevitably positively impact those who work with you. There's energy behind it, structure, commitment and (oh yes) accountability. Enjoy this module and observe how everyone benefits once you begin instituting consistent feedback.

Training Information

Video Time 1: 5:58

Video Time 2: 4:47

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