In one of our podcasts we have approached this topic about feedback and introduced the feedforward concept, after all, that is the fundamental problem with all types of feedback (whether it’s a downward feedback – from leader to employees, or an upward feedback, from employees to leaders): it focuses on a past we simply cannot change, on what has already occurred—not on the infinite variety of opportunities that can happen in the future. Without feedback, we are information poor. Without feedback, we can be hard pressed to know our most effective next steps. It is important to gain perspective, through feedback and reflection, on past events to better understand our choices, actions and responses. However, this knowledge is pointless if we do not use it to support subsequent actions and endeavors. The past serves to inform the future, hence the emphasis here on “feedforward.” Who wouldn’t want to hear “I have some information that may give insight to help you achieve a better performance” instead of “may I give you some feedback?” Feedback can be limited and static, as opposed to expansive and dynamic. And that’s exactly how it should be, but most of us kind of cringe when thinking of feedback, because it’s often embarrassing and uncomfortable to the receiver and even for the giver, depending on the circumstances. So here are some reasons to try feedforward:
1 - It’s more productive to help people be right than to prove they were wrong. Feedback, most of the times, becomes a “let me prove how you were wrong” type of thing and this tends to create defensiveness in the person receiving it. Even constructively delivered feedback is often seen as negative as it necessarily involves a discussion of mistakes, shortcomes, and problems. Feedforward, on the other hand, is almost always seen as positive because it focuses on solutions – not problems!
2 - Feedforward is especially aimed for successful people Successful people like ideas that are aimed at helping them achieve their goals. They tend to resist strongly at negative judgment, because it will deter them from their objectives. We all tend to accept feedback that is consistent with the way we see ourselves, or resist it if it doesn’t. Successful people tend to have a very positive self-image and are more inclined to enjoy feedforward because it is a way they can improve in the future, while feedback feels just like an attack to their way of being.
3 – People do not take feedforward as personally as feedback Constructive feedback is supposed to focus on the performance, not the person, but almost every feedback is taken personally (no matter how it’s delivered). Successful people sense of identity is highly connected with their work. The more successful people are, the more this happens to be true, so when giving a dedicated professional feedback, it will always be taken personally. Feedforward on the other hand does not involve criticism, or focus on the person, but rather on something that is yet to happen. Personal critiques are often viewed as personal attacks. Positive suggestions tend to be seen as advice and helping someone climb up the professional ladder will be taken gladly.
4 – Feedforward is faster and more efficient than feedback With a positive approach, almost no time gets wasted on judging the quality of the ideas or proving that the ideas are wrong. This debate time, when someone tries to resist feedback by giving ‘good excuses’, is usually negative; it can take up a lot of time, and it is often not very productive. By eliminating judgment of the ideas, the process becomes much more positive for the sender, as well as the receiver.
When giving feedforward, just suggest 4 ideas for the future, 2 that they can actually ignore if they think it totally doesn’t apply to them, while embracing and working on the other two that make more sense to them. This way, they will already be working on two things more than they were before. Successful people tend to have a high need for self-determination and will tend to accept ideas that they “buy” while rejecting ideas that feel “forced” upon them.
5 – Feedforward is useful for any member of the team, from managers to peers / team members It is no secret that feedback is associated with judgment, which can lead to very negative and even unintended consequences when applied to managers or peers. Feedforward does not involve superiority of an expert passing judgment, but more of a fellow peer being helpful. This could be an excellent exercise for teams, to have peers asking each other (in one-on-one dialogues) how they can better themselves for the benefit of the team in the future, and listen to feedforward from their fellow team members.
If there is one important thing to take from this article, it’s not that feedback is outdated or that performance reviews should be abandoned altogether, it’s not it at all. The most important thing is that a trust relationship must be built within a company so that team members are able to share efficient feedforward with each other, rather than proving other people are wrong, even if from a position of authority, which only causes people, in their heads, to come up with a defensive response to what you’re saying, rather than actually listen to your advice. And this is the way that everybody will keep moving forward and the company will strive no matter the circumstances.
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