Sometimes, as the cliche goes, forewarned is forearmed. The Gen-Y need for feedback is a sea-change from past generations. In a recent survey of Ernst & Young workers, 65% of Gen-Y said that providing detailed guidance in daily work was moderately or extremely important, compared with only 39% of Baby Boomers.
Still, pick up any article on work feedback and it'll announce that feedback is a good thing. As the latest Harvard Management Update puts it, feedback is important for shaping behaviors and fostering learning that will drive better performance. And additional key research shows that when feedback is corrective--that is, when it specifies what you need to do implement a behavior correctly--it is beneficial. Having been a faculty member of a university for more than a decade, let me translate that seemingly mild academic jargon: You damn well better get quality feedback when you're learning something new, or else you won't be able to learn the needed skill.*!?#! Comprende?
After indicating that feedback is a good thing, the next sentence will be something to the effect that most managers dislike giving feedback. That statement also needs revision: Most managers detest giving feedback.
This may not be surprising news, but there are plenty of reasons why most boomers and many Gen-X don't ask for feedback--and why most managers detest giving it. They fear they'll hear nothing but criticism, that there'll be heated arguments, strong rejection, impossible demands, stonewalling, tears or even threats of dismissal. To an inordinate degree, research shows that fear and anger underlie widespread practices of feedback. It's no wonder that feedback-averse organizations are more the norm than the exception.
Because effective coaching and development rely upon feedback, I initially begin a relationship with a new firm by finding out how open it is to giving and receiving feedback. Doing so will determine the level of difficulty of managing the feedback processes. It provides me with the insight to best position the giving and getting of feedback for ultimate development success.
In the coming weeks I'll be presenting a completely new paradigm for feedback, which will turn current feedback ideas on their head. I've implemented this research-based model with clients and their colleagues for more than three years and have had great success with it.
Keep watching for the new Gen-Y feedback paradigm.
What are your important feedback questions?