The Greatness Project

More Feedback

November 15, 2004

For the past three months we’ve been exploring Dr. Thomas K. Connellan’s research about three environmental conditions that help people achieve success: positive expectations, increased responsibility, and more feedback. This month, we focus on the positive impact of more feedback.

Imagine a world without any feedback. What if all your work, all the love and care you showed someone else, and every attempt you made to help yourself and others were met with total silence. Imagine if you had absolutely no idea if anyone recognized or cared about what you’d done. The impact of that silence would be depleting if not totally devastating. Yet, many of us strive to perform our best under work conditions devoid of feedback. Without feedback about our progress, we will not achieve even a fraction of what we are capable, Dr. Connellan says.

How can this new information foster individual growth? Initially, we have to recognize our own need for feedback. The Gallup Organization recently conducted a poll asking successful individuals whether they needed feedback to do a good job. Only 60% replied that they did. Surprised, researchers followed up with another question about whether respondents believed they performed better when they received feedback and encouragement. This time, 98% replied that they performed better. We have to recognize our need for positive feedback and then surround ourselves with those who will provide it.

At the same time, we can encourage others to do their best by providing encouragement for all they attempt to do. Whether in personal relationships or on the job, we need to let others know what they are doing right. We cannot—and should not—assume: “I don’t need to tell them they are doing great, they already know.” In fact, when we provide the recognition and encouragement, others are inspired to do great work.

It’s even more important to offer the most useful feedback possible. Many of us mistakenly believe that our greatest area of weakness offers the greatest possibility for growth. We reason that if we desire growth, we ought to encourage others to point out our weaknesses. But author Marcus Buckingham in Now, Discover Your Strengths, suggests we stay focused on what we do well so that we can excel in that area. His research suggests that focusing on our strengths and receiving feedback specifically related to them helps accentuate those strengths and encourages excellence in those areas.

Two other books, Encouraging the Heart by James Kouzes and Barry Posner, and How Full Is Your Bucket? by Tom Rath, zoom in on growth in life and work as a result of receiving positive feedback. These authors also encourage us to provide positive feedback to others. We mirror what we receive, so this is something we must consciously do since few of us receive any praise or recognition for our own achievements. If you think this is an overstatement, consider the fact that a 2003 Gallup survey revealed that 40% of employees never received recognition for a job well done; another 40% said they never received recognition at all. Amazingly, 50% of managers admitted never providing feedback for employees. It’s really very simple: no feedback leads to minimal growth.

A simple “thank you” or “congratulations on a job well done” goes a long way. But providing an environment where feedback, mostly positive, is consistently delivered allows everyone to move toward greatness.