Feedback makes us better people — we’re just biologically wired to crave it. When it’s positive, it’s a shot of pure warmth that cossets us, making us feel happy and competent. When it’s negative, it can make us shrink down several sizes and examine our behaviours.

But feedback isn’t always easy to get right. Without structure, praise can become a platitude. Negative comments become a spring-loaded defence mechanism.

And sometimes, even leaders struggle with it, too.

“Earlier in my career, I can think of a few times when I haven’t given the most helpful feedback to my employees,” admitted Amy Spurling, founder and CEO of Compt. “I’ve said something like ‘great job’, and my employees have pushed me on what that means. But those moments have been important to help me adjust my approach, and learn what makes feedback more powerful.”

It’s good news for all of us, then, that feedback can be taught. Maximising its positive impact depends on creating the norms and processes that put trust, transparency, and empathy at its centre.

Qualities of Constructive Feedback

Feedback is a key driver of employee engagement. Understanding how we’re performing alongside our role expectations makes us feel more competent and satisfied at work.

“Feedback is data,” said Amanda Myton, a principal talent management practice lead from Lattice Advisory Services. “It’s integral to employee performance. But truly effective organisations aren’t just built on performance, they’re also built on trust.”

With the right structure and cultural environment, constructive feedback can become a powerful tool that inspires growth, nurtures employee engagement, and drives retention.

The trick is knowing what makes it effective in the first place.

« Feedback is a gift, but it’s not all on the giver. »

“Good feedback is specific and quantifiable,” noted Spurling. “Bad feedback is similar to setting a New Year’s resolution to lose weight. That’s not quantifiable. It’s the same as telling an employee they need to step things up — it’s not something that an employee can put actions against.

“It’s far more impactful to give specific feedback that ties into goals,” she added. “Instead of saying ‘step it up’, you could say, ‘We need to respond to customer emails within 24 hours of being received’. That’s actionable and measurable — and the employee knows exactly what’s expected of them.”

According to recent research on feedback models, effective constructive feedback hinges on four key criteria:

• Specific: Specificity is critical for instilling behaviour change. Employees need specific details on the actions they took that contributed to the outcome.
• Timely: If feedback isn’t delivered in a timely manner, the details get a little hazy, making it harder to connect what we did to the result.
• Regular: Instilling regular feedback loops helps everyone stay aligned, fosters transparency, and means you can course-correct.
• Actionable: Feedback is most effective when it comes with a measurable, solutions-focused mindset that helps employees plan their next steps.

When feedback is vague or delayed, employees don’t know exactly how to connect their actions to an outcome. If it doesn’t come with actions, it’s hard to know how to improve.

And if it’s a once-a-year thing during the annual performance review, it doesn’t communicate to your employees that their growth is a key priority.

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Source : Lattice, Camille Hogg, 23 novembre 2022