Yesterday I was part of a panel on building and leading inclusive teams. One of the questions we were asked was how to build an environment where people at all levels feel comfortable sharing feedback with leaders and each other.
Creating and sustaining a feedback-rich culture is an overlooked aspect of inclusive cultures (and discussions on how to build an inclusive culture). And the effort that it requires can be intense (in a few different ways).
But it's a fundamental and worthwhile investment for leaders who want to advance diversity and inclusion in their business. Our panel had 4 key pieces of advice for leaders & managers of people who want to develop a feedback-rich culture on their teams and in their orgs:
1) Align to a standard feedback model (e.g., @CCLdotORG 's SBI model).
1) (cont'd) Institutionalize feedback as an organizational practice/standard by tying it to the org's values, educate employees on the importance and purpose of feedback, and share suggestions for how employees at all levels can apply feedback practices across the org/team.
2) Use feedback to recognize and affirm positive behaviors and performance, and provide supportive and constructive coaching to employees. In some organizations feedback has a negative connotation because it's only used in to offer critiques of behavior and performance.
2) (cont'd) Feedback becomes a weapon, instead of a tool that helps us recognize our gifts and empowers our growth and development.
2) (cont'd) When feedback is used more comprehensively -- to celebrate successes and help assess and understand challenges -- it increases the likelihood that it's seen as a healthy (and helpful!) organizational tool.
3) Focus on building trust-filled relationships to make feedback more effective. Think about it -- who do you trust to cheer you on and tell you hard truths?
3) (cont'd) When there is a genuine, trust-filled, relationship, people are more likely to engage with feedback in good faith, regardless of their role in the feedback conversation.
4) Use a few different mechanisms to ask people for feedback. This could include your 1:1s, team meetings, internal surveys, or other methods.
4) (cont'd) If you're hearing similar themes in the feedback you receive -- especially if they're about DEI issues, organizational culture, or productivity -- share the themes with your team and commit to a plan of action to address them.
4) (cont'd) Provide updates to your team on the progress against the plan, and continue soliciting feedback to monitor for changes and other developments. Rinse and repeat!
What advice would you give to leaders who want to cultivate a feedback-rich culture? #inclusiveleadership
What advice would you give to leaders who want to cultivate a feedback-rich culture? #inclusiveleadership
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