Working with feedback

​Giving feedback on someone's performance and behaviour at work - both positive and negative - is probably the most simple and cost effective means of improving performance. Yet UK employees say they do not receive enough of it.

For the feedback to be optimally useful it should not be saved until the annual performance appraisal meeting. In high performance companies, giving and receiving feedback constructively is a normal part of the working day. So what is your experience of giving and receiving feedback?

When we talk about feedback, people often focus on giving rather than receiving feedback. Yet it is often the case that those who are the most effective feedback providers have already mastered the practice of receiving it well first. This is a valuable professional skill and will help you to hone your own capabilities and competences as well as preparing you to manage others more effectively and confidently.

​When feedback is given well it has been shown to:

• boost performance

• enhance learning, skills and understanding

• motivate and build confidence

• demonstrate recognition and value

Unfortunately feedback is often not carried out well. If you have experienced poorly given feedback in the past you are probably less inclined to ask for more of it and are also less likely to be comfortable giving feedback to others. The negative impact of poorly provided feedback tends to further undermine the value and benefit of feedback that is delivered well. In short, if you have had a negative feedback experience you are more likely to avoid asking for it, and when you provide it, more likely to give it poorly.

So, what steps should you take to prepare yourself to receive feedback well? Follow the link below to our 6 tips for receiving feedback effectively and to take our short assessment to help you identify your areas of strength and weakness.