6 Principles of Constructive Feedback

Feedback, when done well, is one of the most powerful development tools a leader has. Here are the 6 principles of constructive feedback we come back to every time:

1. Be willing to receive before you give

If you're not open to feedback yourself, your team will feel that. Credibility in this space starts with vulnerability. Model what you're asking of others.

2. Lead with positive intent

People hear feedback through the filter of how safe they feel. If your intent is genuinely to help someone grow, make sure they know that before anything else.

3. Be specific

"You need to communicate better" helps no one. "In yesterday's meeting, when X happened, the impact was Y", that's something someone can work with.

4. Focus on behaviour, not the person

Feedback about what someone did is actionable. Feedback about who someone is just puts them on the defensive.

5. Own the feedback

Don't soften it into meaninglessness or hide behind "people have been saying..."

6. Choose the right timing and environment

Even the best feedback, delivered at the wrong moment or in the wrong setting, will miss. The where and when matters as much as the what.

Which of these do you find hardest?