The Power of Feedback

A leading pharmaceutical company; purpose-led, family-owned and innovation-driven. It is focused on improving health for people and animals. 

Appointed during the pandemic, one senior leader from its headquarters, took up a country-based role, moved location and inherited an established team. 

Keen to be well-equipped for the new role and no stranger to the benefits of working with an external coach and partner, one of the first calls this leader made was to Claire Osborn, Director and Founder of CoDevelop.

They go on to explain:

“I had experienced at first hand the very real value of working with Claire. We’d previously worked together as she helped me realise – and develop – my strengths earlier in my career. 

“However, having taken on this bigger role, in a new country and at a time when I couldn’t meet with my team in person, I thought that working with someone with a fresh and different perspective would challenge, stretch and benefit me. Claire introduced me to the Lead Consultant at CoDevelop, Angela Brook.”

This newly-appointed, country-based leader embarked on a journey of change for the business unit – and wanted to encourage the team to journey with them.

Requesting and receiving feedback is fundamental. Indeed, it is actively sought out by this specific leader. However, due perhaps to the more senior position held or the different feedback culture of the new host country, they noticed how feedback was now less forthcoming.

360-degree feedback is a cornerstone of development programmes. It pinpoints strengths, reveals blind spots and highlights areas of development focus. However, 360 reviews are typically delivered online, making use of generic questions, easy-to-average rating scales and simple feedback profiles, and invitations for feedback can sit clogging up inboxes for weeks.

This leader wanted to go further. They perceived the real power of feedback coming from the more in-depth comment, the type of which is accessible only through interview. 

The way forward was to gather feedback via a semi-structured conversation with each team and cohort member, as well as with key stakeholders. Together, Angela and the leader crafted an interview guide that would be used in a 45-minute interview with each invited feedback provider. 

They reached out to invite their direct reports, extended leadership team, head office stakeholders and a group of younger, future talent within the organisation, taking the time to personally explain the importance to them of their honest and detailed feedback and what they needed from each interviewee. Each person committed to a conversation with one of two CoDevelop executive coaches.

"Asking for and getting feedback has always been core to my working practice. And with a leadership development programme about to begin, it seemed the ideal time to gather some up-to-date and genuine feedback. 

“However, more than that, I felt I wasn’t getting the feedback that I needed to hear – or the balanced feedback I was striving for. So, I decided to reach out and ask for it.” 

“I believe genuine feedback is critical to develop and grow. I wanted to go beyond any rating that might be offered – and dig far deeper than the handful of words usually given in an answer to an online open-ended question. 

“I wanted to find out about how I am perceived, shine the light on my blind spots, discover what I do well and understand what lies behind any comment given.

“For me, seeking feedback comes from a position of strength; a desire to learn and improve, rather than one of weakness and poor performance. But positioning the asking for feedback is crucial.”

With the interviews completed, Angela and Claire pulled together the themes and examples to feed back.

The insights gained fed into the development plan. However, while the feedback informed the areas of focus to work on, it also shone a light on the areas of strength that the team appreciated – some of which they had not realised were so valued. These gave them some very strong ‘a-ha’ moments.

"Not all the feedback was easy to hear but all the feedback was immensely valuable.

“I chose to then share my feedback with my team. I wanted them to understand that I appreciated their active part in this, their time and their comments – and I wanted them to know that I had listened.

“There was, for sure, some awkwardness by some of the team as I shared this and yet, I believe, doing so was fundamental to my desire to create a stronger, more open team. 

“I wanted to role model how valuable honest feedback is and to create a safe place in which to do this. I see the asking for and giving of feedback to each other as critical to moving us forward as a team.”

According to this leader, the high quality and depth of the feedback received, stemmed from the skill of Claire and Angela as interviewers and the value was in the translation of this into action through the development sessions.

“Without doubt, our development conversations were strengthened from the feedback I had received. Working through this with Angela as coach was highly useful and very beneficial.

The CoDevelop team are absolute professionals. I know they work alongside others in the company but there is never a hint of who they are; they are so discrete. 

And that’s the real power. They are able to understand the business, the plans, the structure and the challenges, and can draw from this to add depth to our conversations focusing solely on me without reference to others. 

That trust and discretion is really important.”

The power of this feedback process – focused on in-depth interview, rather than online rating – is clear:

• Underscores that asking for feedback comes from a position of strength and an investment in yourself. Proactively taking steps to uncover areas for development and blind spots shows a desire to improve and the courage to reach out.
  
  
• Shines the light on you away from your team. Inviting feedback beyond your direct team provides a reason for conversation, a chance to showcase what you are doing and keeps them updated on your career progress. 

• Takes conversation to the next level. Sharing the overall feedback with those who provided feedback gives an opportunity and reason for conversation and connection.
  
  
• Informs development planning and improves self-awareness. Adds insight based on real-world examples and provides a start point for focused development.
  
  
• Energises emerging talent. Emerging, younger, up-and-coming talent is excited by this approach to feedback – and embraced it fully. 
  
  
• Provides the personal opportunity for reflection and growth. Feedback providers enjoy the interviews and the time to reflect on how they interact and work.

• Helps to build a sustainable team.  A team that embraces feedback helps to build confidence and trust, embed change and be sustainable in the long term.
  

Angela comments:

“Feedback is so powerful. It provides the insights you simply cannot get elsewhere. It provides the detail and example required to understand what the people around you need, giving you evidence to take action. It acknowledges where you are brilliant, highlights areas of greatness that you weren’t aware of and pinpoints those skills and behaviours you need to work on.

“However, very few seek out and embrace feedback with such positivity as this forward-thinking leader and others across the business. Without doubt, it is a mark of trust, confidence and strength to do so.”

This senior leader sums up their own view:

“Feedback is fundamental to how I choose to work. To get the most from this requires investment and confidence. You need to take time to pinpoint those questions to ask that will give the most insight. You need to carefully decide who to invite, ask them personally and appreciate that this is also an investment of their time. You also need to engage with them after giving their feedback to demonstrate your own commitment to change. 

“That said, get it right and the reward is huge. It is rare, in an operational role, to have the time to stand still and focus on ourselves. And yet, as leaders, we have a responsibility to do that – and to strive to be our best.”