Presenting the Feedback
There are two segments in a one-on-one feedback session: (1) presenting the feedback report and (2) identifying improvement goals. The presentation may be an anxious time for the recipient, and it is important that the feedback be presented tactfully, yet accurately and directly enough to spur further development action. All the effort of the project comes down to this moment, so it is important to maximize its potential.
Keep in mind that the presentation should not be turned into a lecture; rather, it should take the form of a development discussion, with the manager having as much air time as the presenter. The manager should be encouraged to ask questions and express feelings about the feedback and should then be guided to draw some conclusions about his or her effectiveness. Whether or not that happens is often a function of the presenter’s skill. In cases in which the recipient is feeling defensive and tries to deny the truth of the messages contained in the feedback, the presenter will need to find ways to overcome that defensiveness and make sure the feedback is heard and accepted.
Agenda for the Feedback Session
The facilitator should present an agenda for the meeting and then ask the recipient how that agenda works for him or her. A sample agenda may look something like the following:
• Clarify what will be accomplished in the session. Ask the recipient what he or she is looking forward to in this session and what concerns he or she might have. Establish ground rules and clarify your role.
• Review the strengths from the feedback report.
• Ensure understanding.
• Ask for impressions, reactions.
• Be prepared to elaborate beyond the themes and quotes by providing implications of the behaviors described.
• Review the weaknesses from the feedback report.
• Ensure understanding.
• Ask for impressions, reactions.
• Be prepared to elaborate beyond the themes and quotes by providing implications of the behaviors described.
• Review the initial ideas on recommendations from the feedback report.
• Discuss the implications for development.
• Generate ideas together.
• Determine how the recipient’s strengths can be applied to implementing them.
• Review strategies and resources for development activities.
• Choose priorities for development, and discuss how to achieve them. Determine whose support will be required, and establish realistic time frames.
• Establish a time to review how successfully the plan is being implemented.
Some managers prefer approaching the presentation of the feedback and the work on development planning to occur in two sessions. This enables the manager to sit with the data, validate what is most important, and determine what truly are the highest priorities. It is also possible that the manager may want to discuss immediate impressions with the boss, an HR resource, a mentor, or a trusted colleague. Whatever approach is taken, the objective is to ensure commitment on the part of the manager to follow up and get the most out of the feedback experience.
The Facilitator’s Role as Coach
At this stage of the process, an important partnership should develop between the manager and other resources, those being the boss, an HR professional, or the facilitator, as a way to provide support for the achievement of development goals. Involving the person’s boss to reinforce the need for follow-up and to provide an ongoing view of progress will help the manager remain focused. This is a must for the work that Spanier does as an executive coach. “While it may be interesting, just providing the feedback will not ensure change. Especially for a senior-level manager, it is important to review the development plan with the boss. Keeping the boss in the loop ensures a certain level of commitment on the manager’s part and a certain level of support on the boss’s part. Reviewing the plan in a three-way meeting with the boss, the manager, and the coach increases the likelihood of success at both the individual and organizational levels.”
Marianne Gattinella, vice president of human resources-corporate segment at The McGraw-Hill Companies, believes that HR professionals can play a critical role in enhancing the 360 experience for a feedback recipient. “While individuals who get feedback in our organization have the opportunity to work with a coach, a savvy HR practitioner can be an important resource to both the individual and his or her boss. This can be assured by having the HR professional participate in the review of feedback that occurs with the participating manager, his or her boss, and the facilitator and be available for the development planning and follow-up.”
In most cases, the facilitator will be more familiar than anyone else with the manager’s feedback and the 360-degree feedback process. For that reason, it makes sense for him or her to serve as a sideline coach to steer the manager through the development phase. Our experience has shown that feedback is more likely to result in positive behavioral change if a coach is available to help the manager plan development activities, monitor progress, and stay on track. Managers left to their own devices during the creation of the development plan are less likely to take the necessary time to work on it, given that their past behaviors have worked well enough in the past to get them to where they are. In this sense, having a coach becomes essential.
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