Flipping the script on leader feedback: Why leaders need feedback too
Leaders don’t lack resources aimed at helping them deliver more meaningful employee feedback. Yet, candid and comprehensive feedback for leaders, particularly on leadership and management skills, receives far less attention.
According to Gallup research, less than half of U.S. employees (42%) report having the opportunity to formally provide feedback to their manager. Only one in four (24%) have formally rated their manager’s performance. Meanwhile, about a third (36%) of managers say they receive feedback from their peers as part of a formal feedback process.
This imbalance is a detriment to both leaders and their organizations. As the capabilities leaders are expected to master continue to evolve and escalate, it becomes critical for them to understand the impact and effectiveness of their actions and behaviors. This is especially true at a time when organizations are grappling with an inordinate amount of change, complexity, and ambiguity in both the workplace and the marketplace.
What leaders think
In a Big Think+ survey of full-time U.S. employees, 73% of the 288 managers and senior leaders polled say they wish their superiors would provide more frequent feedback on their leadership and management skills.
At the same time, 86% of those leaders agreed that regular and targeted feedback is essential for the growth of their teams. This incongruity — between the significance leaders place on offering feedback to their teams and the seeming lack of significance placed on offering those leaders equivalent guidance — illuminates a feedback gap.
A potential reason for such a feedback gap is the perception that such conversations are naturally uncomfortable and therefore tempting to avoid. Another is a narrow focus on a limited set of skills or metrics that fail to capture the full breadth of a leader’s developmental needs and accomplishments.
At the same time, 86% of those leaders agreed that regular and targeted feedback is essential for the growth of their teams. This incongruity — between the significance leaders place on offering feedback to their teams and the seeming lack of significance placed on offering those leaders equivalent guidance — illuminates a feedback gap.