In the fast-paced and ever-evolving landscape of today's business world, effective leadership is more crucial than ever. New and emergent leaders face unique challenges as they navigate their roles and strive to make a meaningful impact on their teams and organizations. Yet, there is consistently one common hurdle that many leaders encounter: the reluctance to give and receive specific constructive feedback.
In many organizations, the culture surrounding feedback is fraught with fear and apprehension. Leaders, their superiors, and HR departments often shy away from providing feedback out of concern that it may be perceived negatively or trigger defensive reactions. Instead, they tend to resort to infrequent and ineffective vague feedback at yearly performance reviews, missing valuable opportunities for growth and development.
As a leadership coach specializing in helping new and emergent leaders elevate their skills and habits, I have encountered this challenge repeatedly. However, I believe that reframing thoughts around giving constructive feedback is not only possible but essential for fostering a culture of open communication and driving leadership success.
Here are five strategies to help leaders embrace feedback and create a culture of open communication within their organizations:
Highlight the Growth Opportunity
View feedback as an opportunity for growth and development rather than criticism. By shifting your mindset, you can embrace feedback as a valuable tool for honing your leadership skills and improving performance. And when team member strives to elevate their skills, there is usually at least a couple more that will follow suit, which elevates the entire team.
Focus on Specific Behaviors
Provide feedback on specific behaviors rather than making generalizations or judgments about character. This approach makes feedback more actionable and less personal, fostering a constructive dialogue between yourself and your team members. It’s also much less likely to trigger defensive behavior.
Promote a Feedback Loop
Emphasize the importance of ongoing feedback conversations rather than relying solely on annual performance reviews. Making these feedback conversations the norm will make it easier for everyone. I encourage very regular check-ins to allow for timely feedback and support, enabling teams to course-correct quickly and drive better results rather than be blind-sided by delays near the deadline.
Encourage a Growth Mindset
Foster a culture of learning and resilience by promoting a growth mindset among team members. Through my coaching, I’ve witnessed vaious struggles leaders tend to have with team members - and one of the most frustrating traits they all seem to face, regardless of the field, role, experience - is having to lead someone that does not have a growth mindset (someone set in their ways - unwilling to change because “that’s how they’ve always done it”). So, if there is something that should be of high priority on your leader’s list of things to do, it is this: Openly embrace challenges, learn from failures, and see feedback as a steppingstone to leadership mastery. Regularly talking about these things with your team, and including owning some of your own gaffs can help.
Lead by Example
Last but certainly not least - lead by example by soliciting and acting on feedback yourself. In fact, this should be the very first place to start. Demonstrating vulnerability and openness to constructive criticism sets a positive tone for the entire organization, leading to increased transparency, collaboration, and innovation. Model every behavior – from asking for feedback, to receiving feedback gracefully and finally acting on it – and continually asking for further feedback. One comment I always receive when doing 360’s for leaders is at least a couple of their direct reports say they are inspired by their leader’s willingness to commit to self-improvement. THIS is what true vulnerability looks like in the workplace, and it is an admirable quality.
By implementing these strategies, organizations can unlock the full potential of their leaders and teams. A culture of open communication fosters continuous learning, drives performance and innovation, and cultivates a supportive and engaged workforce. In today's dynamic business environment, all leaders should look for an edge to make themselves and their teams better. Embracing feedback is an important catalyst for growth and development —and it is essential for leadership success.