Feedback Practices for Year-Round Growth

Leaders: Stop winging feedback. Use frameworks that drive growth. Giving feedback isn’t easy - but winged feedback often leads nowhere. Without structure, your words might confuse, demotivate, or even disengage your team. Here are 4 feedback frameworks that create clarity, build trust, and drive growth (and 1 to avoid): 1) 3Cs: Celebrations, Challenges, Commitments 🏅  → Celebrate what’s working well. → Address challenges with honesty. → End with commitments for improvement. 2) Situation-Behavior-Impact (SBI) 💡  → Describe *specific* situations. → Focus on observed behavior. → Explain its impact on team or goals. 3) Radical Candor 🗣️  → Care personally while challenging directly. → Show empathy but stay honest. 4) GROW Model: Goal, Reality, Options, Will ⬆️  → Set goals for feedback. → Discuss current reality. → Explore options for growth. → Commit together on action steps. ❌ 5) DO NOT USE: Feedback Sandwich ❌  → Start with something positive. → Address areas needing growth. → Close with another positive. ‼️ This outdated model tends to backfire as people feel manipulated. Structured feedback isn’t just about improving performance. It builds trust, fosters open communication, and creates an environment for continuous learning. ❓Which framework do you use to give feedback? ♻ Share this post to help your network become top 1% communicators. 📌 Follow me Oliver Aust for more leadership insights.

As an EY Partner, I gave feedback to thousands. Master the art of feedback - skyrocket your leadership: Bad feedback creates confusion. Good feedback sparks growth. Use the CSS (Clear, Specific, Supportive) framework to make your feedback land without friction. No more awkward silences or sugarcoating disasters: 1. Give positive feedback that actually feels valuable. ❌ Don’t say: “Great job!” ✅ Instead say: “Hey [Name], I really liked how you [specific action]. It made a real impact on [outcome]. Keep doing this—it’s a game-changer.” Why it matters: → Reinforces what actually works 2 Address underperformance without demotivating. ❌ Don’t say: “You need to improve.” ✅ Instead say: “I appreciate your effort on [project]. One area to refine is [specific issue]. A great way to improve would be [solution or resource]. Let’s check in next [timeframe] to see how it’s going.” Why it works: → Pinpoints the issue without personal criticism 3. Redirect someone without crushing their confidence. ❌ Don’t say: “This isn’t what I wanted.” ✅ Instead say: “I see where you were going with [work]. One way to make it even stronger is [specific suggestion]. What do you think about this approach?” Why it works: → Keeps feedback constructive, not critical 4. Push back on an idea (without sounding like a jerk). ❌ Don’t say: “I don’t think this will work.” ✅ Instead say: “I see the thinking behind [idea]. One challenge I foresee is [issue]. Have you considered [alternative approach]? Let’s explore what works best.” Why it works: → Keeps it a discussion, not a shutdown 5. Handle conflict without escalating it. ❌ Don’t say: “You’re wrong.” ✅ Instead say: “I see it differently—here’s why. Can we walk through both perspectives and find common ground?” Why it works: → Creates space for solutions, not arguments 6. Help someone level up their leadership. ❌ Don’t say: “You need to be more of a leader.” ✅ Instead say: “I see a lot of leadership potential in you. One way to step up is by [specific behavior]. I’d love to support you in growing here—what do you think?” Why it works: → Focuses on potential, not deficits 7. Coach someone who is struggling. ❌ Don’t say: “You need to step up.” ✅ Instead say: “I’ve noticed [specific challenge]. What’s getting in the way? Let’s find a way to make this easier for you.” Why it works: → Focuses on support, not blame 8. Give feedback to a peer without sounding like a boss. ❌ Don’t say: “You should have done it this way.” ✅ Instead say: “I had a thought—what if we tried [alternative]? I think it could help with [goal]. What do you think?” Why it works: → Encourages shared ownership of improvement 9. Close feedback on a high note. ❌ Don’t say: “Just fix it.” ✅ Instead say: “I appreciate the work you put in. With these adjustments, I know it’ll be even better. Looking forward to seeing how it evolves!” Why it works: → Ends on a motivating note — ♻️ Repost it to help others grow.

One of my most repeated phrases: "What happens at any time, happens at no time." If something isn't on the calendar, it probably isn't happening. We all want to give and request feedback throughout the year, but we never make time for it. A few weeks ago, I shared how we are all in the middle of a big paradigm shift with AI and performance management. Organizations should now be encouraging employees to document progress, update goals, and give and request feedback continuously throughout the year, and then use AI to summarize that feedback to help write reviews during performance cycles. This makes performance reviews more accurate and less biased, since they are based on data collected throughout the whole review period, not just in the week before the reviews are due. But when it comes to actually getting employees to do these things (documenting progress, updating goals, and giving and requesting feedback) regularly, the calendar is where it starts. Here's what we're doing at Lattice to make these habits stick: - We make it visible every month. At our company All Hands, we share the percentage of the company (and specific teams) that regularly complete 1:1s, weekly updates, goal check-ins, feedback exchanges, and development conversations. Transparency creates accountability. - We put it on the calendar, literally. Our controller requires his team to exchange feedback every two weeks. On the people team, we reserve time every Friday. We also designate specific weeks throughout the year as "grow convo" weeks, and we are currently in the middle of a “summer of feedback.” - We expect managers to model it. We teach managers to set aside dedicated time every 4-6 weeks to give and receive feedback, either folded into 1:1s or as a separate conversation. Our CEO rotates the questions she asks in weekly updates to keep them fresh. Walking the talk matters. - We celebrate it publicly. At our annual kickoff, we recognize the people with the most 1:1s and the highest feedback activity. There are even some senior leaders at the top of the list — and that visibility sets the tone. The goal is consistency over perfection. Because when the habits are there, AI has data to summarize, which makes writing reviews a lighter lift, and makes the reviews higher quality. What do you do to make continuous feedback or other habits stick at your organization, so AI has data to analyze for performance reviews? 

Annual performance reviews are corporate theatre. They don't improve performance. They kill it. Why they fail: Feedback delayed is feedback denied. By the time you have the "annual conversation," it's too late to fix anything. One client eliminated annual reviews entirely. Replaced with: - Weekly 15-minute check-ins - Real-time course corrections - Immediate recognition The weekly framework: - "What went well?" - "What would you do differently?" - "What support do you need?" - "What's your focus next week?" Results after 6 months: - Employee performance: +35% - Manager confidence: +50% - Turnover: -40% The rule: Feedback within 48 hours, not 48 weeks. If you wait a year to give feedback, you've already failed as a leader. When did you last give real-time feedback?

𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒂 𝑪𝑶𝑶 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒚 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓. 𝑰𝒏 𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒕𝒆𝒔. She'd just closed their biggest deal of the year. He called her in for "feedback." "Good job. But your slides should have been different. You went over time, and you didn't follow my format. Run it by me first next time." She nodded. Left quietly. Three months later, after many such instances, she was job hunting. Here's what he didn't see: 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬—𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺. In my many years of coaching senior leaders, I've seen this pattern destroy more talent than toxic culture ever could. 𝑭𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒊𝒔𝒏'𝒕 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕. 𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒃𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒖𝒑. High-performing teams give about 5 positive comments for every 1 negative—the Losada Ratio—a proven balance that builds momentum and drives growth more than criticism alone. But the real metric? 𝑷𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒔. 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒃𝒊𝒈𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒓. 𝑴𝒚 𝑮𝑹𝑶𝑾 𝑭𝒓𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 (𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔): 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡: "Here's what you did brilliantly..." 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲: "What if you tried..." 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭: "How can I help you nail this?" 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥: "I see you becoming..." 𝘐𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩—𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒕𝒉: Most leaders use feedback to feel smart, not to develop people. If your feedback makes YOU feel better but leaves THEM smaller, you're managing your ego—not their growth. 𝑸𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖: Who's one person on your team who needs to hear what they're doing RIGHT before they hear what to improve? Tell them today. Watch what shifts. 𝘗.𝘚. 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦, 𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 → 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑰𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒓 𝑬𝒅𝒈𝒆 - Subscribe on LinkedIn https://lnkd.in/gi-u8ndJ #TheInnerEdge #LeadershipCoaching #ExecutiveDevelopment #Feedback

Stop asking for “feedback."    Unfortunately we’ve turned that word into something that has become quite loaded in corporate life – myself included. If your manager says, “I’ve got some feedback for you,” how do you feel? For many of us, it creates an ‘uh-oh’ moment like we’ve done something wrong.    🔹Managers hesitate to give it 🔹People brace to receive it 🔹Intent is good but impact is minimal (or sometimes negative)   Contrast this to other high-performance professions. As an example, highly ranked tennis players are incredibly demanding on their coaches for constant adjustments to improve – without it there is no chance of breaking into the Top 10 (or even the Top 100). In the corporate world, why can’t each of us benefit from this as well?    I’ve struggled with this for years and then I learned something which I found incredibly helpful. Here’s the shift: take control of the conversation and create a team of coaches around you.    Instead of asking for “feedback”, try this instead: “What are the biggest 1–2 things I could do differently to have an even bigger impact?” Why this works: 🔹It shifts the negative frame into a positive focus on future potential 🔹It invites specific, actionable input you can actually apply 🔹It puts you in the driver's seat to accelerate your growth   Ask your manager, peers, and key partners. Track what you hear repeatedly and then commit to the top two changes and make it happen.   What’s one piece of actionable advice that genuinely accelerated your performance? I’d love to learn from you. Drop it below.   #Leadership #CareerGrowth #Performance #ProfessionalDevelopment #GrowthMindset  

If performance feedback surprises someone during their review, you have failed as a manager. Regular, ongoing feedback should make formal reviews confirmatory, not revelatory. Address issues when they arise, acknowledge improvements as they happen, and have continuous conversations about development. Annual surprises create resentment and missed opportunities for course correction. Good management happens in real-time, not just in scheduled meetings.

➝ Is your feedback culture suffocating talent? Time to break free from toxic reviews. All of us have experienced increasing stress levels when appraisals are announced. While performance reviews are important to check for alignment with current and future goals, and to develop employee growth strategies, an annual or 'calendar' event hardly serves the purpose. A feedback review is not a forum for passing judgement just because you as a leader are seemingly in a position to do it. This brings us to the question - how do we fix it? why is regular feedback important? Simple - it drives growth and improves performance. Yet many companies still rely on outdated annual reviews that cause stress and fail to make a real impact. How can we fix this? By making feedback a normal, regular occurrence. This means: 1. Training managers to give specific, actionable feedback regularly 2. Encouraging employees to seek feedback proactively 3. Creating a safe space for open, honest conversations What's expected from both sides? Reviewers should: - Focus on behaviors, not personality - Offer constructive suggestions - Listen actively Reviewees should: - Be open to criticism - Ask clarifying questions - Commit to actionable steps Real-world example: At Pixar, they use "plussing" - a technique where team members build on each other's ideas without using negative language. This has created a culture of continuous improvement and innovation. Remember, feedback isn't about judgment. It's about helping each other grow. Start small - perhaps with weekly check-ins. Over time, you'll see a shift from dreading feedback to acting upon it. Are you ready to transform your feedback culture? ♻️ Find this valuable? Repost to share with others. ➝ Follow Amer Nizamuddin for more insights #leadership #feedbackculture #wisdomquant

Your people want to grow… But you’re not listening. Employees crave development, not just feedback. Leaders miss the bigger picture: ↳ Skill gaps and ambitions. Otherwise, employees feel: 1. Unheard 2. Undervalued 3. Stuck Without growth, engagement drops. Turnover soars… You need more than feedback. You need an actionable strategy. Here’s how: 1. Use Structured Frameworks. - Standardized templates reduce personal biases. - Blend metrics with narratives for actionable insights. - Structured feedback eliminates guesswork. 2. Focus On Future Goals. - Set SMART goals to make development clear. - Shift feedback from past to forward-looking progress. - Align team growth with your company’s goals. 3. Listen To Employees' Voices. - Surveys uncover ambitions often left unspoken. - Safe spaces allow employees to share openly. - Listening fosters trust and deeper engagement. 4. Bridge The Gap For Future Success. - Use benchmarks to prioritize critical skill gaps. - Compare current skills to those your future requires. - Prepare employees today for tomorrow’s challenges. 5. Empower Growth Ownership. - Prompts like “Where do I excel?” spark reflection. - Encourage employees to own development paths. - Regular discussions keep growth consistent and visible. 6. Collaborate On Development Goals. - Build trust with safe, judgment-free feedback spaces. - Visualise their goals, showing progress and alignment. - Collaboration ensures both clarity and accountability. When growth is intentional, businesses succeed. Focus on development now to avoid turnover later. Invest in your people to future-proof your business. Follow Jonathan Raynor. Reshare to help others.

"Feedback is a gift. It's an opportunity to learn and grow" At Google, we believe in the power of feedback to drive improvement. Sometimes feedback can be tough to hear. But taking the time to unpack it, understand the perspective, and reflect on it is crucial. Why feedback matters: - It reveals blind spots we cannot see ourselves - It accelerates learning by shortcutting trial and error - It demonstrates that others are invested in your success - It creates alignment between perception and reality How to receive feedback effectively: 1. Approach with curiosity, not defensiveness When receiving feedback, your first reaction might be to justify or explain. Instead, listen deeply and ask clarifying questions: "Can you give me a specific example?" or "What would success look like to you?" 2. Separate intention from impact Remember that well-intentioned actions can still have unintended consequences. Focus on understanding the impact rather than defending your intentions. 3. Look for patterns across multiple sources Individual feedback may reflect personal preferences, but patterns across multiple sources often reveal genuine opportunities for growth. 4. Prioritize actionable insights Not all feedback requires action. Evaluate which points will have the greatest impact on your effectiveness and focus your energy there. 5. Follow up and close the loop Demonstrate your commitment by acknowledging the feedback, sharing your action plan, and following up on your progress. Creating a feedback-rich environment: - Model vulnerability by asking for feedback yourself - Recognize and celebrate when people implement feedback successfully - Make it routine through structured check-ins rather than waiting for formal reviews At Google, we've learned that organizations with robust feedback cultures innovate faster, adapt more quickly to market changes, and build more inclusive workplaces. Let's commit to seeing feedback not as criticism but as a valuable investment in our collective future. The discomfort is temporary, but the growth is lasting. #motivation #productivity #mindset