Focused Feedback

William Wong June 2018

A Culture Management Tool by Partners in Leadership

Feedback is powerful agent of change when you are trying to shift the culture of a company from where it is (C1) to where you want it to be (C2).

The folks at The Oz Principle dubbed this "focused feedback" because it centers the conversation around the C2 Cultural Beliefs that we want our staff to embody.

People create the organization's culture. The organization's culture will create its results. A Culture of Accountability is the most effective culture.

Change the Culture, Change the Game

Want better results? Sow the seeds of accountability to reap it's rewards.

2 Types of Feedback:

[ 1 ] Appreciative Focused Feedback. This lets people know you value their demonstration of the beliefs you want for the organization. It reinforces the thinking and behavior necessary for this change. Focused Feedback needs to be provided in a timely way so it clarifies the desired cultural behavior (C2) and also supplies the repetition needed to reinforce the desired actions (A2).

[ 2 ] Constructive Focused Feedback. This offers positive and candid suggestions and guidance on what else people can do to demonstrate the desired beliefs (B2) more fully. This type of feedback is critical to helping people succeed in the new culture (C2) because it helps them know what they can improve in a timely way. People who don't get constructive feedback will always be living in the old culture (C1), possibly sabotaging your effort to stall and eventually die out.

Steps to a Focused Feedback Session

[ 1 ] Solicit feedback for yourself. Start by asking "What feedback do you have for me?" This wording is important. Instead of saying "Do you have any feedback", which could prompt a "no" answer, the proper way to ask assumes they have feedback for you. Then just sit back and listen.

[ 2 ] Appreciative Focused Feedback. Deliver the good by saying "Here's where I feel you demonstrate xyz + provide example", with xyz being a desired cultural behavior.

[ 3 ] Constructive Focused Feedback. It's recommended to use the phrase "even more" when giving constructive feedback because it suggests that, to some extent, the recipient of the feedback has already demonstrated the desired belief in some way. We're just looking for more.

[ 4 ] Close with a "Thank You!" If you want people to continue giving you feedback over and over again, then close up the session with a "Thanks for the feedback." This simple response avoids the impression that you are evaluating whether the feedback was useful to you and instead emphasizes that you want them to keep it coming.

To change our current results to the desired results, focused feedback must be both appreciative and constructive.

What does Focused Feedback Sound like?

The following example was provided by the folks at Partners in Training to illustrate a real life Focused Feedback session. It's between Jen and Robert, who are both field leaders at a company called Opthometrics. The Focused Feedback session covers 'Stay Focused' and 'Reject Average', which are some of Opthometrics' Cultural Beliefs.

[ JEN ] "Robert, here's where I feel you demonstrate 'Stay Focused'. You do a tremendous job on your developmental visits. You get to the root cause of nondelivery on key results and quickly uncover the competency gaps among the division directors who are leading territories that are not delivering. And you correctly allocate your time to develop the right people."

"Here's where I feel you could demonstrate 'Stay Focused' even more. There are two impending division director openings on the horizon. I think you need to weigh the time you are spending developing people you are working with right now against the time needed to hire two top-tier division in the next two weeks. I know it would be a heroic effort to get them hired and get them to the conference in Dallas, but that's what the business really needs."

** This Focused Feedback session prompted Robert to hire the two new division directors within two weeks, an action that almost immediately increased sales within the respective territories. It also set a new standard for quickly filling key positions throughout the company.

In turn, Jen also received some Focused Feedback from one of her direct report Robert.

[ Robert ] "Jen, here's where you demonstrate "Reject Average". You have been very focused, ensuring that your team knows and understand with clarity what is expected at the regional general manager (RGM) level. This clarity of expectation has created an opening within the RGM team."

"Here's where I feel you can demonstrate 'Reject Average' even more. As you work through the numerous candidates, do not settle for someone who can just do the job; rather, bring someone into the company who can raise the excellence of the current RGM team, someone who will turn heads."

** Jen acted on this Focused Feedback and did, in fact, hire a new RGM, who, beginning with her very first month on the job, has consistently delivered excellent results.

Things to Remember

Personalize your feedback by using the word "I" instead of "we". The words "I feel" convey that you're sharing a subjective opinion that the feedback recipient may find helpful. People tend to respond more favorably to feedback when you give it in a direct and straightforward manner from your own personal perspective.

Nobody's perspective is 100% correct, or even useful, 100% of the time. Feedback rarely represents "the truth" about an individual. Instead, it offers a perspective that may help someone improve their situation. It's not an objective or absolute truth that could make the person feel harshly judged.

Focused Feedback IS... feedback given around a specific key result you wish to accomplish. It is also feedback that is focused on how people demonstrate the Cultural Beliefs that you wish them to.

Focused Feedback IS NOT... general feedback of a non-specific nature. It is also not a dialogue in which the person offering feedback is forced to provide examples in order to legitimize their perspective. Do not try to defend yourself. Just sit back and listen.

Feedback Filter

Now that you've receive your feedback, what you do with it is your choice. Listening to feedback is harsh and puts us into a vulnerable state. Most people go on the defensive so it doesn't hurt their ego. They'll try to defensively explain away the feedback, ignore it, discount the source, or just find ways to invalidate it. But when you do this, people will see, and eventually stop giving you feedback - because hey, let's face it, if you're acting this way, then you really didn't want it in the first place.

So instead of getting defensive, look at the feedback as another piece of information or a point of view. It doesn't matter if the feedback is accurate or not, perception is truth and in their mind, it's correct. Gathering feedback lets you know that this belief exists and it's up to you to figure out what to do with it by asking yourself these two questions:

[ 1 ] Is this a belief I want them to hold?

[ 2 ] And if not, then what do you need to do to change it? Ask yourself "What experience will I need to create to change that belief?"

So the next time you receive feedback, genuinely thank them, reflect on it and figure out if it is something you will benefit from responding to it. If it is not, then consider closing the loop with the person who provided you feedback and let them know you have chosen not to act on it. Cause after all, accountability goes both ways.

** Many of the contents, diagrams and wisdom come from and are trademarked by Partners in Training. I am merely paraphrasing what I've learned from them and retelling as constant reminder of it's teachings. If you wish to learn more about this topic, go directly to them.