Research Reveals: Traditional Feedback Fails; the Shift Positive^® Method Works

There is a huge problem with traditional feedback methods—studies reveal that more than one-third of conventional feedback interventions actually decrease performance and engagement.¹ The Shift Positive^® Method offers a fundamentally different approach, and the research proves it works. In a comprehensive study examining over 500 leadership evaluations across 94 leaders, the results were remarkable—every single leader who went through the program demonstrated positive growth in their professional development.² That's not just promising—it's transformative.

Traditional approaches to leadership development often fall short, leaving leaders feeling isolated in their growth journey, unclear about specific behavioral changes needed, and lacking ongoing support for sustainable change. Marshall Goldsmith and Howard Morgan's groundbreaking research (Leadership is a Contact Sport³) previously highlighted that ongoing interaction with colleagues was central to achieving positive long-term change in leadership behavior.

"Leaders who discussed their own improvement priorities with their co-workers, and then regularly followed up with these co-workers, showed striking improvement. Leaders who did not have ongoing dialogue with colleagues showed improvement that barely exceeded random chance."

The Shift Positive^® Method builds on Goldsmith's insights by transforming traditional stakeholders into active allies in a leader's development. This approach eliminates confidentiality and combines transparent strengths-based and solution-focused feedback with specific commitments from colleagues to support the leader's growth. A comprehensive study of this method reveals three key factors that drive leadership development success:

Effective Leaders Share their Goals
Leaders who never shared their development goals with allies showed 16% less improvement than average. Each increase in goal-sharing frequency (never, rarely, sometimes, often) corresponded with an 11.6% improvement in effectiveness.

Effective Leaders Ask for Help
The data revealed that having explicit conversations about how colleagues could support development ("one thing" they'd commit to doing to support the leader's growth) was even more impactful than general goal sharing. Leaders who failed to have these "one thing" conversations showed 11% less improvement than average, while those who did have them demonstrated 19.2% greater improvement.

The More Allies Help, The More the Leader Grows
When allies never acted on their commitments to help ("one thing"), leader improvement was 14% below average. Each increase in frequency of ally support (infrequently, occasionally, frequently, very frequently) corresponded with a 9.2% improvement in effectiveness.

Key Insights for Organizations

This research offers several important implications for leadership development:

Transparency Drives Growth
Moving away from anonymous feedback toward open dialogue creates clarity and accountability.

Specificity Matters
Having explicit conversations about how others can support development is more powerful than general goal sharing.

Active Engagement Required
The most successful leaders actively engaged their entire network, not just direct reports and managers.

Systematic Support
Organizations need systems and processes that encourage ongoing ally engagement rather than one-time feedback events.

Beyond Feedback to Active Allyship

While traditional feedback remains important, this research suggests that the key to accelerated leadership development lies in creating active networks of engaged allies. The data shows that when leaders systematically engage others in their development journey—sharing goals, having specific support conversations, and ensuring follow-through—they create a powerful ecosystem for growth.

The implications extend beyond individual leadership development to organizational culture. By moving from anonymous feedback to transparent dialogue and active support, organizations can create environments where continuous development becomes part of the cultural fabric.

As one participant noted, "I can't believe people took so much time and put so much effort into this process just to help me grow." This sentiment captures the essence of what makes this approach effective—it transforms leadership development from a solitary journey into a collaborative endeavor where success is shared by all involved.

The message is clear: Leadership development is indeed a contact sport, but winning requires more than just feedback—it requires active allies committed to your success.

1. Nowack and Mashihi. (2012). Evidence-based answers to 15 questions about leveraging 360-degree feedback. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 64(3), 157-182.
2. Research conducted through an independent analysis of 544 evaluations across 94 leaders using the Shift Positive Method, demonstrating statistically significant improvement in leadership effectiveness with an average score of +1.64 on a scale of -3 to +3. The study found that 526 out of 544 individual evaluations (97%) showed positive improvement, and when averaged across allies, all 94 leaders (100%) demonstrated positive improvement in their developmental goals.
3. Goldsmith, M., & Morgan, H. (2004). Leadership is a contact sport: The "follow-up factor" in management development. Strategy + Business, 36, 71-79.