Feedback: The Powerful Paradox by Jack Zenger and Joe Folkman Feedback: The Powerful Paradox How to improve feedback practices to ensure the greatest benefit for the giver and the receiver. After analyzing the research that we and ences. Over one-half of the respondents others have conducted about prefer- were from outside of the United States. ences for giving and receiving feedback, we have discovered some fascinating Feedback: More or Less? conclusions. These conclusions come 1. The great majority of leaders were from 2,700 respondents to a Harvard twice as likely to give positive feed- Business Review blog we wrote in early back than they were to give correc- 2014. Respondents were given the tive or negative feedback. opportunity to participate in an online 2. Virtually every employee in the orga- survey which included questions about nization wanted more feedback. In both positive and negative feedback, our survey, almost two-thirds agreed and attitudes about feedback experi- that “my performance and possibili- ties for success in my career would © 2019 Zenger Folkman 1 have not received any useful feedback in the past six months.1 Management practices have Group preferences evolved to a small degree, but they 1. Older leaders (baby boomers) pre- ferred giving positive feedback while have not kept pace with what has their millennial counterparts preferred not to give either positive or negative happened in society. feedback. 2. Women leaders preferred giving pos- itive feedback more than their male counterparts who, on average, avoid- ed it. 3. Male leaders disliked giving corrective have increased substantially if I had been more helpful in their career. feedback even more than their female been given more feedback.” 3. Virtually all (94 percent) feedback counterparts. 3. 64 percent of respondents said, “[I recipients stated that corrective 4. Male leaders preferred receiving am] not praised or recognized too feedback improves their performance corrective feedback slightly more than much.” when it is presented well. women leaders. 4. 63 percent of recipients felt that they What type of feedback is most get substantially more positive feed- Complexity of feedback effective? back than negative feedback. The research findings suggest that giving 1. About half of leaders tended to avoid 5. While 62 percent of leaders rated and receiving feedback in organizations giving positive feedback, while the themselves as highly effective at pro- is a complex and unpredictable process. other half described themselves as viding others with honest, straightfor- Our intent in this paper is to turn the spot- comfortable giving positive feedback. ward feedback, other research reports light of solid research onto the topic, with 2. Recipients of feedback said they pre- that 60 percent of employees say they ferred receiving corrective feedback. They were evenly split on whether positive or negative feedback had 1Cornerstone on Demand, Employee Report, Nov. 2012 2 the goal of having it shape and improve principles at work that could be helpful to vide effective feedback. This is a your feedback practices. anyone who is thinking of providing feed- learned skill, not an inborn gift. back to someone else. Feedback could be described as any con- Assumptions that impact giving versation designed to convey a message Barriers to providing feedback feedback that one person believes to be important We could create a seemingly endless list We asked people which method had been for another person to hear. Yet with that of forces at work that can get in the way most helpful for them in their career. Was as the fundamental premise driving the of feedback happening, such as: it receiving positive feedback or accepting dialogue, there are many variables. 1. A manager’s personality can make it corrective feedback? We found that 52.5 • Is the message being delivered pri- easier or harder. Those who are intro- percent indicated that negative feedback marily positive or is it corrective? verted find feedback a difficult behav- was more helpful while the remaining 47.5 • Does presumably positive feedback ior to practice. percent said that it was positive feedback. sometimes cause negative outcomes? 2. Our research has shown that a man- It appears the world is divided roughly in • Does it matter if the message is deliv- ager’s level of self-confidence is a half on this issue. ered in a constructive, caring way, or strong predictor of a willingness to can it be delivered coldly? provide corrective feedback to a direct Those choosing corrective feedback • How important is the nature of the re- report. This group has adopted the philosophy, lationship between the two individuals 3. Managers are afraid of making things “What doesn’t kill you makes you stron- involved? worse. They are aware that feedback ger.” They believe that corrective feedback • Are we primarily describing interac- is akin to a powerful medicine in a is the key to success. tions between managers and their di- doctor’s bag of options. Many drugs • 70 percent indicated that “My perfor- rect reports, or does this encompass have an enormous power to heal or mance and possibilities for success all conversations designed to convey to hurt. It all depends on how carefully in my career would have increased an important message? they are administered. substantially if I had been given more 4. Employees, especially those who are feedback.” It feels as if there are a nearly infinite not performing well, often artfully elude • 96 percent agreed with the statement, number of dimensions that could be con- any opportunity for the manager to “Corrective feedback, if delivered sidered. We believe, however, that there give them corrective feedback. appropriately, is effective at improving are some fundamental conclusions and 5. Managers often lack the skill to pro- performance.” © 2019 Zenger Folkman 3 • These individuals were 11 times more feedback with some corrective sug- This isn’t to say that corrective feedback likely to say that they preferred correc- gestions.” isn’t necessary. People need to know the tive over positive feedback. • 67 percent said that the best man- boundaries. They need the confirmation • Many within this group viewed positive agers “deliver much more feedback, that what they did was incorrect. Some- feedback as mostly fluff, not very help- praise, and recognition than negative times calling attention to the issue is the ful, and something the weak prefer. feedback.” catalyst needed for a change to occur. • 72 percent said a leader can be most The best leaders deliver both kinds of influential in their career by “Giving What was fascinating in our research feedback. The art is in the delivery and corrective feedback and advice when was how much this attitude about which timing of the feedback so that it will be mistakes are made.” kind of feedback was most helpful in your most effective for the recipient. career impacted people’s ability to give Many people in this group have an internal and receive feedback. The reality is both Importance of asking for feedback fear that they may be doing something positive and negative feedback are abso- Our research from over 50,000 leaders stupid that is ruining their career. They lutely essential. Each works well at differ- clearly shows that those leaders who ask hold the belief that everyone else is aware ent times with different people. for feedback are perceived more positively of this issue and no one, including their than those who simply are good at giving manager, is willing to talk straight to them. Most people know when they are doing feedback. Obviously, the ideal is to do something wrong. Only 12 percent of the both. We believe that a manager can serve Those choosing positive feedback people in our research said that they were as an excellent role model in the process This group feels that constantly giving oth- surprised by negative or corrective feed- of seeking feedback. Creating a culture ers corrective feedback creates a demor- back. There is an old Vermont farmer joke where one feels safe to openly share and alized work environment where the role of about a salesperson who is trying to get receive feedback ideally begins with the a leader is to catch people doing things the farmer to purchase the Encyclopedia manager taking the lead and setting the wrong. Yet those who selected positive of Better Farming. The farmer looks at the example of being eager to receive it. feedback are not suggesting totally aban- salesperson and says, “I already know doning any negative feedback. how to be a better farmer; it’s not the Importance of giving feedback • When asked what employees need knowing I need, it’s the doing.” The willingness of a manager to provide most, 75 percent said “Mostly positive feedback to direct reports is a powerful way to increase employee engagement 4 and commitment. Those employees who If someone has been told that they are ing” or “improving” trajectory. Parents are receive the least are the least engaged. extremely intelligent, highly creative, or much better advised to praise a child’s Receiving corrective feedback from a an exceptional athlete, then much of their hard work, tenacity, and willingness to manager produces a much higher level effort can be focused on preserving that overcome hurdles. This reinforces that of engagement than receiving none at image and self-concept. The person who they may not be effective at some skill at all. Receiving the right kind of positive possesses a proving mindset is less apt this moment in time, but that it is clearly feedback has a huge impact on improv- to take on a more difficult challenge that attainable. It just hasn’t been attained ing employee productivity and increasing may bring about failure.