How Do You Give Feedback to High-Level Team Members?
In the realm of high-stakes leadership, effective communication is pivotal, particularly when it involves providing feedback to peers. We've gathered insights from a Chief Executive Officer on the delicate art of acknowledging expertise while offering factual insights. Additional answers include the value of written channels for feedback. These responses, ranging from the strategic use of metrics for objectivity to focusing on specific outcomes, encapsulate the nuanced approaches V-level executives employ to foster growth and drive success within their teams.
- Acknowledge Expertise and Provide Facts
- Replace 'Feedback' with 'Advice'
- Schedule Clear-Agenda Meetings
- Engage with Collaborative Goal-Setting
- Use Metrics for Objective Discussions
- Focus on Specific Outcomes
- Provide Feedback Through Written Channels
Acknowledge Expertise and Provide Facts
Giving feedback to high-level team members is a must for achieving company goals and building a positive work environment. So, here are the top three things that I consider while giving feedback to high-level team members:
Respect Their Expertise: I always try to acknowledge their contribution and value instead of giving them direct feedback. This helps to build a positive tone in my feedback and shows respect to the team members.
Base Feedback on Real Facts: Always give feedback based on real facts and logic. Try to use real-world examples while giving feedback, and this helps to avoid any perception of bias or personal judgment.
Always Empower Your Team: Nobody is perfect in everything, so this applies to your team as well. Have friendly communication with your team to understand their issues, where they are lacking, and what skills they need to improve. Based on that, conduct training sessions or provide other learning resources to enhance their skill set.
Replace 'Feedback' with 'Advice'
Research shows that feedback is generally ineffective because people shut down emotionally, mentally, and even physically. So don't give feedback—or at least stop using that word.
Instead, ask, "Can I offer some advice?" Advice is future-focused and activates a different set of emotional and intellectual triggers. For many people, it's the difference between a fear or anger response (protecting themselves) versus curiosity or ambition (intrigued by a challenge).
You might also use the 19-word phrase that comes out of education and is positively correlated with improved performance: "I'm giving you these comments because I have very high expectations, and I know that you can reach them." That phrase inspires, implies partnership, and makes it personal.
Before any of that can work, however, there must exist an atmosphere of trust. Have you in the past built a relationship with this person? Do they believe you hold their best interests in mind when you speak? When people are in conversation with you, do they feel heard, cared about, and respected? If not, go back five spaces and build that foundation before you offer feedback, advice, or challenge. Because people don't care what you know until they know that you care.
As a coach, it's often my job to say the hard things. We first build a safe and trusting space together. I avoid using labels such as "good" or "bad"—instead, I share my experience of them, using Owned Language. This means more "I-centric" language rather than broad statements—in other words, I own my opinion rather than offering a broad generalization.
I recently coached a behind-the-scenes finance professional who'd been promoted into a high-visibility role that required talking to large groups—not his skill set! He'd been told, "You're awful on stage" and "You should prepare more." That feedback shifted nothing.
I had him do a run-through and said, "Can I share my experience? When you keep looking at the screen and constantly dance around, I get the sense you are both nervous and unprepared... What would you rather be projecting when you're on stage?" No one had ever given him specifics before!
This opened opportunities both for coaching and presentation training that he'd resisted before. Eye contact with the audience from a grounded, confident body (plus shifting text-heavy slides to simple images!) helped him dramatically reduce his nervous behavior. When he spoke the next week, the CFO told him, "That was a home run!"
Schedule Clear-Agenda Meetings
To give feedback effectively to high-level team members, it's important to schedule meetings with a clear agenda. These meetings should occur regularly and be a space where both parties understand that the dialogue will be focused and constructive. By structuring these interactions, it allows for a formal process that maintains respect for the seniority and time of the individuals involved.
During these meetings, key points should be addressed directly and with evidence to support any claims about performance or behavior. This way, the conversation remains professional and productive. Make sure to set up your next structured feedback meeting soon.
Engage with Collaborative Goal-Setting
Encouraging collaborative goal-setting is a powerful way to engage high-level team members when giving feedback. Begin by having an open dialogue about the team's objectives and how each member's contributions align with achieving these goals. This approach ensures that everyone feels accountable for their own performance and understands how their work fits into the bigger picture.
Mutual accountability means that everyone, regardless of position, is held to the same standards and is working together towards common goals. Focus on how the team's successes are shared and invite further collaboration by setting up a meeting to discuss goals together.
Use Metrics for Objective Discussions
When approaching feedback for high-level team members, the use of clear metrics can serve as an objective basis for the discussion. Evaluating performance against established metrics provides a non-personal and fair way to assess work, ensuring that the feedback is based on data rather than opinions or feelings. It's important that these metrics are agreed upon in advance and are relevant to the roles and outcomes expected.
By keeping the conversation anchored to data, it becomes easier to identify areas of strength and areas needing improvement. Reach out with your insights and observations, and suggest a follow-up to review progress against these metrics.
Focus on Specific Outcomes
In giving feedback to high-level team members, clarity and brevity are paramount. Crafting your feedback should involve focusing on specific outcomes and behaviors that can be addressed and improved upon. This precision keeps the conversation actionable and avoids overwhelming the recipient with too much information.
The aim is to be as straightforward as possible, providing observations and suggestions without unnecessary filler. Strive to foster an environment where outcomes can be discussed openly and improvements can be made. Please consider how you can apply greater clarity in your next feedback session.
Provide Feedback Through Written Channels
Offering feedback through formal, written channels ensures that high-level team members receive well-thought-out and properly documented input. Writing allows for reflection and precision, ensuring that the feedback is neither impulsive nor vague. It provides a record that can be referred to later, both by the one giving feedback and the one receiving it.
Crafting a carefully worded document also shows the significance of the feedback and respects the stature of high-level team members. Take the initiative to draft a thoughtful and detailed written feedback document to share with your senior colleague.