Why feedback is important

In recent years, major academic institutions, such as the Harvard School of Business have been focusing much of their time and efforts to researching how experienced soccer managers can provide an example of effective management. Feedback is one of the most important factors in the development of the modern manager who can motivate and guide their team through the pitfalls of the modern business world. Feedback is vital to the modern business manager and the effective sports coach alike as both need to explain what they expect of their team and guide them to success through timely, efficient feedback on performance.

Motivation

There have been many ways feedback has been delivered in the business sector, with some leaders choosing to take the sandwich approach of negative feedback delivered between positives. Motivation has been needed in different areas of the business as the aim of the manager is to always be driving their team to future success. Effective feedback can be delivered for motivation in many ways, often through effective coaching which can provide an individual with the skills to improve their career. If we look at the world of sports, a soccer manager needs to provide effective feedback almost continuously to explain why a player is chosen for the team and others are left out. Balancing the negative and positive aspects of the feedback provides motivation for the future for a player to return to action at the earliest opportunity.

Performance

If we see the first step to providing feedback is to inspire employees to be more motivated, step two is to give feedback in such a way that employees feel empowered to improve their performance. The main issue many managers and supervisors suffer with is failing to identify failing performance in a timely and efficient manner. Putting off the delivery of what many see as bad news means bringing the employee back to a positive performance is often impossible.

Honesty

Once the employee has become comfortable with receiving regular feedback from their manager they will feel comfortable in accepting both positive and negative comments. If an employee is struggling to perform to the accepted standard, they will usually be expecting negative feedback to be delivered at their regular performance meeting.

It is important the manager creates a culture where the performance of each employee is monitored with regular, honest feedback. The honest delivery of feedback eventually becomes a part of the corporate culture and a driving force in maintaining the high standards expected of each employee.

Career Development

What is the aim of the feedback you are providing for your employees? This is the question many managers and executives face when they are developing a corporate culture including regular feedback. Following the example of major government institutions, including the FBI and CIA is a good example of achieving success in providing feedback. When delivering feedback, most government agencies in the U.S. tie their comments to employee reviews which include information detailing how the individual is hoping to take the next steps in their career.

Make feedback a two-way street

The development of an effective corporate culture including open and honest feedback should not be limited to the manager delivering their views on their employees. Instead, the idea that feedback is a two-way street can be the catalyst for new ideas and makes the employee feel they are playing an important role in the business as a whole. A manager should not be stung by the pride of not accepting both praise and negative comments. Encouraging employees to give their feedback can often give a business leader the chance to understand how best to manage individuals and what style of leadership they respond to.