Feedback is an essential tool for effective leaders. But only for leaders that use it.

A friend of mine recently told me a story about his company’s General Manager.  The GM periodically reviews the strategic plan with large groups of employees.  Sometimes it is with the management team and sometimes it is with the all the employees.  Everyone.  During these sessions the GM reviews the mission and vision of the organization as well as the key initiatives in the annual operating plan and the long range strategic plan.  For each strategy and objective, he gives his assessment on how the organization is doing, whether they are on track to achieve the objective, and informs the team about any adjustments necessary to deliver the plan.  While others have contributed to decisions and communication points the GM is delivering, he is completely behind the talking points and takes strong ownership for the plan in its current form.

Then he does what many leaders do.  He asks for feedback.  Everyone is asked to submit feedback on the presentation.   For each point delivered, employees give a 1 to 5 rating.  1 means full disagreement and 5 means full agreement.  For any rating of 2 or below, the employee is asked to explain what they see as problematic with that part of the plan.  These can be disagreements with the strategic direction, operational feasibility, or some other show stopper that the employee objects to, based on their expertise and their role in the company.  The responses are signed and submitted to the GM at the end of the meeting.

Now, having read this description of a company meeting led by the GM, you might think this is just like any number of meetings you’ve attended in the companies you’ve worked for.  You sit through the leader’s presentation.  There is some feeble attempt to gather feedback at the end of the meeting.  Perhaps you have an e-mail survey to complete afterwards.  You spend as little time as possible on your feedback, since you’ve never actually seen any follow up from previous feedback you’ve provided.  You get back to your to do list as quickly as you can.  When the next big meeting comes up, you go through the same charade.

In this story however, something was different.  In this company, the GM actually read all of the responses.  He flagged all of those responses rated 2 or below, where members of his organization told him there was a problem with the execution of the plan or with the plan itself.  Not only did he read all the responses, he acted upon them.  For those he needed more information to address, he called in his managers to get an explanation or validate the objection.  He might ask the employee who submitted the feedback for clarification.  Once he had a solid understanding of the problem, he challenged the functional leaders to think again about the plan he articulated during the meeting.  Was it on target or did it need to be revised?  Does the new information surfaced from the meeting and subsequent due diligence change anything?  Is there a better approach?

The next step is powerful.  The GM responds to each of the employees who challenged the plan delivered in that meeting.  It may take weeks or even months.  He responds personally to each and every person.  It may be in person, over the phone, or by e-mail.  If you wrote a 2 or a 1 on the survey, you can expect a response from the GM.

The cultural effect in this company has been dramatic.  Employees know that their feedback is considered.  They know that if they challenge the plan they’ll be talking to the GM about the plan and the GM will listen to their input on how to improve it.  They are more invested in the meetings.  They look forward to hearing from their leader and personally participating in the strategic direction of their company.  Plans get better.  Performance gets better.  They love where they work.

As a rising leader, when you ask for feedback from your team, do you mean it?  Do you ask for feedback because that’s what you’re supposed to do?  Do you take questions from your team and answer them with the primary motivation of moving on so you can get back to your agenda?  Do you create parking lots of questions on flip charts that hit the recycle bin as soon as your meeting is over?  Are you just trying to appear inclusive because you think that will make your team feel better?

The most effective leaders ask questions of their team because they actually want to learn something.  They want to find answers to the challenges they face.  They believe that the collective wisdom of their people will carry the team forward on shoulders stronger than their own.  Effective leaders don’t fear giving their team too much of a voice.  They believe that by bringing more ideas into the room, the best ideas will emerge and the team will thrive.  They don’t seek feedback as a necessary requirement of delivering a presentation because they were told that’s what you should do.  They seek feedback because gaining insights and acting upon them with sincerity and diligence it will make them stronger leaders.  Authentic leaders.  It will help their company win.

It’s up to you to decide which leader you want to be.

Put yourself out there.  Ask for feedback without reservation.  Follow through and act upon what you learn.

See the effect it has on your team.  And on you.

Lead well.

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