3 Tips for Great Leaders: Ask for Feedback

Tips for leaders: Ask for feedback

A good leader needs input from his team. Yet it is not always easy to ask your team about this and to respond correctly to that feedback. This is how you go about it:

1. Know who to ask for feedback from

The most valuable comments you can get come from the people you do not work with so easily. They will give their unvarnished opinion from which you can then draw valuable insights.

2. Ask for feedback on one specific aspect

Do your team members sprinkle compliments? That is great, but it does not immediately help you grow as a leader. It can be difficult for your team to provide feedback if they are unsure which aspects of your leadership to assess correctly. Therefore, ask specific questions and avoid vague wording. "How can I delegate tasks better?" is a much clearer question than “What do you think of my leadership style?”. Be sure to continue asking afterwards so that you get a clear answer.

3. Learn to deal with feedback

Therefore, be sure to ask for points for improvement and deal correctly with feedback that you experience as unpleasant. Try not to see feedback as a personal attack, but listen carefully to what your employee is trying to tell you and always ask for additional explanation. Thank your employee for his honest opinion and indicate that you appreciate it. Then briefly summarize the feedback and add an example if necessary. Afterwards, think about what the feedback means and how you could adjust your behavior or attitude to improve this point. Then decide for yourself whether you want to work with it. However, not all feedback is helpful for getting started, although you will not know for sure until you have tried it. You can safely get started with the input of your employees and then judge that the changes have had little or no effect. Then you can discuss this again with your team and motivate your decision to reverse the changes.

There are roughly three types of feedback, each of which is useful: feedback or appreciation for the things that you as a leader do well, feedback that you can use as a moment of coaching to grow in what you do and finally an assessment of strengths and working points to know your challenges.

Getting feedback meets two important needs of a leader: on the one hand, it helps you get better at what you do, and on the other, it gives a sense of acceptance, security, and trust.

Would you like a helping hand to convert your team's feedback into action? Feel free to contact Coaching Solutions Online and we will look at your options together.

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