Culture Hacker

6CoachingGiving Feedback, the Most Misunderstood and Poorly Executed Leadership Task

Each person holds so much power within themselves that needs to be let out. Sometimes they just need a little nudge, a little direction, a little support, a little coaching, and the greatest things can happen.

Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks football coach¹

Informal and Formal feedback when delivered correctly energizes your people, their attitudes, and their ability to deliver for you.

In Chapter 5, I wrote about the importance of empowering and enabling staff members by providing them with the right training, tools, and information and the ability to make decisions for themselves. To ensure all employees achieve the desired results for their roles, you must have a culture where consistent and meaningful feedback is expected and delivered. Chapter 5 also introduced the 60/20/20 learning model, whereby 20% of all learning comes from feedback or coaching. I believe feedback or coaching is one of a manager's most important responsibilities in terms of achieving results through the people. Fast Company magazine suggests, “All coaches have one thing in common: it's that they are ruthlessly results-oriented.”² To truly generate success and elevate your employees' performance, you must ensure that coaching is a part of your company's DNA.

Coaching or giving feedback is also about building better relationships with staff members and positively impacting their attitude and engagement with the company. ...