Julie Pierce
BOW’s guest blogger is Julie Pierce, who provided this post to accompany the podcast/video that she did with Kay Daigle on the topic “The Art of Giving and Receiving Feedback” which will drop on 3/11/25.
By Julie Pierce
Want to know one of the essentials to our development – for both leaders AND for those we lead? It’s the other F word: feedback.
Giving feedback to those we lead
Great leaders give consistent performance feedback to their team members to sharpen their skills and help them pursue their potential.
Leaders often fall into one of two traps when it comes to feedback: we give way too much or none at all. We pick apart everything and give them feedback all the time or we are radio silence and they never know what’s working and what’s not. Some leaders get so nervous at the idea of giving feedback. “Oh no, what will they think of me? What if they don’t like what I say?”
But let’s remember, as a leader, it’s not about me, it’s about the team.
If it’s about bringing out the best in them, how can we do that if we don’t give consistent, ongoing, live-time feedback?
What good feedback looks like
So how do we do this? The best leaders keep their feedback concise, specific, and sincere.
Listen to how Jesus was concise, specific, and sincere in these two examples:
John 21:6 – Cast the net on the right side of the boat.
John 5:8 Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk.
Coaching leaders don’t just tell their team what needs to be fixed –”hey you’re not catching any fish” – but they also show them how to correct it and practice it (the right way). We have a responsibility to give what we’ve received – what we have been given through our experiences is the knowledge and expertise they need. We have the responsibility to give that away and equip those we lead.
Being concise, specific, and sincere in both praise and correction isn’t always easy. Sometimes leaders are stingy with praise and long-winded with correction. We’re stingy with our praise because we think if we tell them too often they’re great, then they’ll get lazy or proud. But that’s why specific and sincere praise is so important.
Julie’s example
For example, I was in a video recording session several years ago with a video producer named Cameron. As I left, I said, “Cameron, you’re so awesome!” and I meant it, he is awesome. But that kind of generic flattery is like eating cotton candy – it’s sweet for a second but leaves you feeling empty. But if I had taken the time to be specific in my praise – “Cameron, You are so good at helping people relax and get comfortable for the camera. And the way you helped draw out that heartfelt response from Lexie, that was next level interviewing – I really learned a lot from watching you today!” Now, feedback like that is both a deposit of encouragement and an investment in their development– you’re showing them the win.
As leaders, giving consistent, life-giving feedback is the key to developing those we lead. We all need more than just “fix this” feedback – if all we ever tell them is what went wrong, they’ll start to wonder if they’re doing anything right! Let’s choose to be the leaders who invest in others’ growth through the gift of feedback.
Access the full podcast or video of Julie’s conversation with Kay Daigle. You may also be interested in Julie’s other conversations about leadership.
