If you have ever played a sport, you probably know all about the importance of coaching and feedback in order to improve your skills. Athletes are constantly being told by their coaches how to boost their performance, perfect their swing, optimize their form, and improve their footwork. Feedback is crucial for athletic proficiency and it’s also crucial for leadership. Unlike athletes, however, leadership feedback is not about making a shot or getting faster; it’s about completing tasks, reaching objectives, and learning how to communicate more effectively. If you want to boost your performance and leadership ability, it is vital that you create a culture of feedback. Here are just a few reasons why feedback is essential for effective leadership development.
1. It Enhances Credibility
It is absolutely essential for any manager, especially those who are newly hired or promoted, to accept feedback from their subordinates. Frequent and meaningful feedback from employees help managers establish credibility within their team. It also gives leaders valuable insight to the challenges that employees face in their jobs so they can address these concerns with purpose.
2. It Boosts Employee Engagement
Employee engagement is one of the most important tools for any organization today. Unfortunately, many leaders don’t know how and where to begin when it comes to enhancing employee engagement. One of the best ways to do this is by creating a culture of communication and feedback. The truth is that most employees desire feedback from their leaders and appreciate leaders who ask for feedback in return. Regular feedback helps to foster open and honest communication between leaders and employees
3. Feedback is a Motivator
Just as athletes use feedback as fuel to get better, the same is true for leaders and employees. Leaders who give and receive feedback on a regular basis notice that they and their employees are more motivated to work and improve their skills. Not only are motivated employees more productive, they are also happier and engaged.
4. Foster Open Communication
The primary role of any leader is to provide useful feedback to their employees but in order to truly create a culture of communication, leaders must also be open to receiving feedback. Encouraging feedback from your employees shows that you are listening to them and value their input. When you do this, you demonstrate that you are there for your employees and that you genuinely support open and honest communication.
If you are interested in learning more, contact us today at 1-800-501-1245 to request information about training courses from the Management Training Institute as well as other corporate training programs offered through our parent company Bold New Directions.