Empowering Managers: The Crucial Skill of Effective Feedback

As we approach the end of the year, HR leaders, Talent Development professionals, and organizational leaders are faced with a perennial challenge: how to equip managers with the skills they need to drive performance, engagement, and growth in the coming year. At the top of that list should be the ability to provide effective feedback.

The Importance of Feedback in Leadership

Feedback is more than just an annual performance review ritual. It's a critical, ongoing process that shapes employee performance, engagement, and development. For managers, the ability to give constructive feedback is not just a nice-to-have skill—it's essential for driving team success and organizational growth.

Research consistently shows that employees crave regular, meaningful feedback. A study by Gallup found that employees who receive daily feedback from their manager are 3 times more likely to be engaged than those who receive feedback once a year or less. Yet, many managers struggle to provide feedback effectively, often resorting to vague concepts or being overly focused on weaknesses or what’s not working.

The Timeliness of Feedback Training

As we enter the final quarter of the year, now is the perfect time to invest in developing your managers' feedback skills. Here's why:

• Year-end development conversations are approaching: Equip your managers to make these conversations truly meaningful and constructive.
• Setting the tone for next year: Start the new year with a renewed focus on ongoing, effective feedback.
• Reflection and goal-setting: The end of the year is a natural time for reflection and planning, making it ideal for introducing new approaches to feedback and development.

Introducing Shift Positive Applied Manager Training

To address this critical need, we're excited to highlight our Shift Positive Applied Manager training program. This innovative approach to feedback is grounded in the latest research on positive psychology and behavioral change, offering a powerful alternative to traditional feedback methods.

The Shift Positive Applied training is offered as either a 1.5 day or a five-class interactive learning experience led by a seasoned Shift Positive coach. It's designed to not only introduce managers to a new mindset but also provide active, hands-on learning opportunities. This allows managers to truly embody and model the method effectively with their teams.

The program consists of five key components:

A New Approach to Feedback
This module helps managers understand why dialogue and feedback can be challenging. It introduces positive psychology and social support as pathways to stronger relationships, improved well-being, and a sense of belonging. Managers learn about the impact of negativity bias and positivity offset, and gain practical tools. The session also covers the concept of growth mindset and the neuroscience of social threats and their antidotes.

Strengths-Based Feedback
Here, managers explore the importance of strengths-based recognition and conversations. They learn how to identify and highlight strengths, including conducting and sharing VIA strength assessments. The module emphasizes the significant impact of strengths-based feedback on employee engagement and teaches managers how to leverage strengths in areas of development.

Solution-Focused Feedback
This component teaches managers how to shift from problem-focused to solution-focused conversations. It emphasizes identifying what to do rather than what not to do, helping managers overcome inattentional blindness and negativity bias. Practical dialogue exercises using a solutions-based approach are a key feature of this module. Addressing difficult subjects in constructive ways is emphasized.

Building from a Desired Future
Managers learn to use appreciative inquiry techniques to visualize a desired future and craft steps to achieve it. This module includes applying appreciative inquiry to current engagement challenges and skill development, providing managers with powerful tools for driving positive change.

Leveraging Social Support
The final component focuses on understanding human systems, team dynamics, and the power of social support. Managers learn to commit to being allies in each other's well-being, growth, and development. They explore research on the impact of social support in driving sustainable change and practice Active Constructive Responding to capitalize on good news and successes.

Each class in the Shift Positive Applied program includes time for sharing, asking questions, and connecting with peers. Managers have opportunities to apply concepts of constructive dialogue and feedback in both large group settings and smaller breakouts. To maximize learning and real-world application, pre-session assignments and resources are provided.

The Power of Internal Training

Bringing Shift Positive Applied training into your organization offers several key advantages:

• Consistent language and approach across your organization
• Customization to your specific organizational context
• Catalyzing a broader cultural shift towards positive, growth-oriented feedback
• Scalability to train multiple managers simultaneously
• Ongoing support to ensure long-term implementation

Advances in Feedback Research

The Shift Positive method is built on cutting-edge research that challenges many traditional assumptions about feedback. Some key insights include:

The Power of Positive Emotions
Barbara Fredrickson's research shows that positive emotions broaden our perspective and build resources, making us more receptive to growth and change.

The Importance of Psychological Safety
Amy Edmondson's work highlights how psychological safety enables better feedback conversations and learning.

The Fallacy of Focusing on Weaknesses
Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall's research suggests that we grow most in our areas of greatest ability.

The Role of Social Support
Studies show that change is more likely to stick when supported by a network of colleagues and allies.

Investing in Your Managers' Most Critical Skill

As we look towards the new year, investing in your managers' ability to provide effective feedback is one of the most impactful steps you can take to drive performance, engagement, and growth. The Shift Positive Applied Manager training offers a research-backed, practical approach to transform feedback in your organization.

By equipping your managers with these skills, you're not just improving individual conversations—you're laying the groundwork for a more positive, growth-oriented organizational culture. As we navigate the complexities of today's workplace, the ability to give constructive, motivating feedback is more crucial than ever.

Don't let another year go by without taking advantage of the latest advances in feedback research. Explore how Shift Positive Applied training can empower your managers and transform your organization's approach to feedback and development. Contact us today.