The First-Time Manager in Asia by B. H. Tan

Author:B. H. Tan
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9789814771269
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish International

WHY PEOPLE WILL RESPOND TO REQUESTS FOR FEEDFORWARD1

I owe a debt of gratitude to Marshall Goldsmith who first taught me this concept. Most people—subordinates, peers and bosses— are uncomfortable about giving feedback. We have discussed this at length in the previous chapter. So why force the issue? It’s like trying to squeeze blood from stones.

Help yourself by making it easier for them. Don’t ask them to tell you what you have done poorly. That’s the past. Ask them instead to help you to perform better in the future. That’s what feedforward is about: the future. Try this and you will be amazed how much more forthcoming they will become.

Here are two examples:

1. If you have just completed a piece of work and would like to improve it further, ask, “What can I do differently to get even better results the next time?”

2. If you would like to have candid input about yourself, ask “What are one or two things that will help me become even more effective?”

If, despite having asked for feedforward, people still aren’t willing to speak up, it may be that there is still a high level of discomfort. Recently, I was speaking to a number of senior Asian leaders in the government service. They were mostly of one voice on the topic of providing input to their bosses. The preferred approach is to do it behind the scene and one-on-one. Therefore, if you sense that you still aren’t getting what you need, invite your subordinates for a private chat. The onus is on you to consider ways to lighten up the working atmosphere so that people feel safe to speak up.

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