The Increase Your Impact Newsletter is your Monday morning edge, created for growth-minded individuals. Each issue is a 2-3-minute read that delivers actionable strategies and powerful stories straight from my work with the world’s top performers. I 'd love to have you join my weekly email list and join thousands of others who are striving to get better, just like you.
IYI Newsletter: it's hard to give good feedback, this can help...
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Approximately a 3-minute read Hello! When someone you care about is struggling, it’s easy to overwhelm them with corrections. I know it's coming from a good place. You want to help. You want them to get better. So you point out the missed detail, the poor word choice, the gap in preparation, or the pattern that needs to change. Then the conversation ends, but neither of you is sure what happens next. As a leader, one of your principal roles is to direct attention to what's next. Feedback needs a landing spot Useful feedback does more than describe what went wrong. It helps a person see where to put their effort next. That means the goal isn’t to say everything you noticed. The goal is to identify the one thing that would move the needle in a positive direction, right now. Imagine a coach saying, “You need to communicate better.” The player may agree, and still have no idea what to do differently next time. Compare that with: “Next time you see the play breaking down, call it out loud, right away.” The second statement gives feedback a landing spot. It’s observable, actionable, and can be practiced. Three moves before you correct 1- Choose the target. Before the conversation, ask: What’s the one thing I most want this person to notice? If your answer has three or four parts, that's too much. A person doesn't gain clarity through a vague cloud of criticism. 2- Focus the behavior, not the person. “You cut her off twice before she finished her point” is more effective than “You were dismissive.” Specificity doesn’t make feedback cold. It makes improvement possible. 3- End with a next rep. Ask: “What would you do differently next time?” Or: “What would a better version of this look like?” The question invites ownership. If the next step isn’t clear, offer one directly, then make sure the person understands it. What this doesn’t mean This isn’t an argument for turning every conversation into a lesson. While safety issues, urgent decisions, and a violation of standards require direct instruction, in most developmental conversations, piling on every observation creates defensiveness or paralysis. Try it: Next-rep feedback Before your next feedback conversation, identify how you would finish these three sentences: What I noticed: ______ Why it matters: ______ The next rep I want to see: ______ Then say less than you normally would. Leave enough space for the other person to think, respond, and name their own next step. Final Self-Reflection Question:"As a leader, how can I be more specific with my feedback?" See you next Monday! Justin If someone in your life is gearing up for a hard conversation as a coach, parent, teammate, or friend—this might be worth passing along If you are interested in working with one of our process coaches or booking a keynote presentation for your organization, reply to this email, and we'll connect! If this email was forwarded to you and you want it to come directly to your inbox, click here to subscribe |
Justin Su'a
The Increase Your Impact Newsletter is your Monday morning edge, created for growth-minded individuals. Each issue is a 2-3-minute read that delivers actionable strategies and powerful stories straight from my work with the world’s top performers. I 'd love to have you join my weekly email list and join thousands of others who are striving to get better, just like you.
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