It is true that feedback is a gift. When done properly, giving feedback is one of the most valuable and selfless things you can do for someone else.
Constructive Feedback 🛠
Providing feedback is important; however, it’s more important that this feedback is respectful, constructive, and actionable. Focus on specific behaviors and outcomes rather than personal attributes. Convey the impact (good or bad) of the person’s actions - help them understand why you want them to start, stop, or continue doing something. Remember, the goal is to help your team grow and succeed, not to criticize or demoralize - this requires you to be thoughtful and intentional in how you approach and frame the conversation. It's up to you to put in the work to think about how you should frame the feedback and put yourself in their shoes to make it the most effective.
Encouraging Open Dialogue 💬
Encourage an environment where team members feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and ideas. Open dialogue fosters innovation and problem-solving. It also helps build trust within the team, as members feel their opinions are valued and considered. A great manager is approachable and open to feedback. This sets a positive example and encourages a culture of open communication.
Receiving Feedback 👐
Even the perfectly framed, best-intentioned feedback can sting. We are all human, after all. Here are a few ways to be an effective feedback receiver:
1) Say thank you! - Try to lead with this, regardless of how you feel about the feedback. It's tempting to be on the defensive (even if you don't mean to) and rationalize the behavior being highlighted. You can mean well and still come across as defensive and unreceptive. Saying thank you explicitly tells the Feedback Giver you value the time and energy they've put into this, and it gives your mind and body a moment to absorb the information without having a knee-jerk reaction.
2) Assume there's a nugget of truth - Not all feedback will land. Sometimes, you might strongly disagree with the feedback being given to you, and that's okay. If the relationship has a decent foundation of trust, and you believe the Feedback Giver's intent is to help you and the team get better, assume there is a nugget of truth in their feedback. You can disagree with a majority of it, but what little aspect may be true? What might they be touching on that you have a blind spot on? Maybe the answer is nothing - but more than likely, it's not. Allowing yourself time to be introspective and reflect increases the opportunities for you to get more out of feedback.
3) Schedule a follow up conversation - After you've said thank you and looked for nuggets of truth, it can be helpful to digest the feedback shared with you on your own time, at your own pace, and come back to the conversation. Whether this is giving you more time to find the nuggets of truth or allowing you to dive deeper into introspection than you can live, plan to circle back with a "Thanks so much for taking the time to give me this feedback. There are some points you made I want to think more deeply about and better understand. Can I set up another time we can talk about this after I've had some time to reflect?"
Nomon Enhances Your Communication 🚀
Effective communication is the foundation of successful engineering management. By practicing clarity, active listening, regular check-ins, constructive feedback, and encouraging open dialogue, you can build a strong, cohesive team. Nomon uplevels your communication skills right where you already work - Slack, email, Docs, web, etc. Use Nomon to help you keep a pulse on your team and individual needs, have deliberate conversations around goals and growth opportunities, and keep key partners up to date on progress and plans. This saves you time and helps you foster a productive and collaborative team environment.
