The Value and Challenge in Providing Peer-to-Peer Executive Feedback
By Ted Gerber
Peer-to-peer feedback sounds like a good idea yet remains a challenge for most organizations and senior leadership teams. When senior executives want to give feedback to a colleague there is always a concern about how it will be received and the impact it will have on working relationships. However, peers on senior leadership teams who can provide and receive constructive feedback to address behaviors, barriers, or past narratives and misunderstandings between team members can accelerate and increase their overall effectiveness. The benefits of peer-to-peer feedback include improving the team’s ability to address business challenges quickly and with greater impact, improved communication and collaboration, and effective conflict management. Despite the benefits, the question remains: why is it so difficult for senior leadership peers to provide and receive feedback?
The 4 Obstacles to Successful Peer-to-Peer FeedbackI have observed four main obstacles that must be overcome to make peer-to-peer feedback work among senior leaders. First, the challenge of intent vs. impact. Even when delivered with the best intentions, feedback can be misinterpreted as criticism or the questioning of a colleague’s competence. If the person receiving feedback feels marginalized it creates resentment making open communication difficult in the future. Second, with ever-increasing work overload, it’s often difficult to choose the right time and venue to offer feedback. Is the peer in a receptive space? Will there be ample, uninterrupted time for an honest conversation? As a former boss once told me, timing is everything in communication, especially when offering feedback. Catch a peer at the wrong time and you run the risk of having your words fall on deaf, or worse yet, angry ears. Third, peer-to-peer feedback is not a common practice. In most organizations, managers provide feedback to their staff not to their peers. Fourth, too often feedback is not well planned and it comes off as judgmental finger-pointing rather than supportive observations.
With all of that in mind, I offer clients an 8-step guide to follow when embarking on peer-to-peer reviews among senior leadership. Following these steps will set the right tone for open, constructive conversations that build trust.
8 Steps to Give and Receive Peer-to-Peer Feedback to Increase its Use, Effectiveness, and Receptivity
- Set Ground Rules. Agree on feedback ground rules that include scheduling a time to meet just as you would do with other business meetings. Feedback meetings should be conducted face-to-face or by video call. Email and text should be off-limits. Agree that all feedback will be offered with the positive intention of helping each other. Each party will also agree to engage in active listening and be open to asking and answering clarifying questions without judgment or defensiveness.
- Feedback is a Two-Way Street. To keep communications clear and open, both peers must be willing to give and receive feedback.
- Observation v. Judgement. Feedback must be communicated directly and clearly from a place of observation, not judgment. For example, when starting the conversation admit that you may have misread a situation with a caveat like: “I may be wrong, but what I observed in the meeting was …” or “I offer this feedback because, based on my observation, you may not be aware of what you did or did not do…”. It is also helpful to emphasize and share your vulnerabilities when offering feedback. Admitting that you have faced similar challenges, and sharing how you overcame them, levels the playing field and opens the way for a constructive conversation.
- Be Open and Willing to Change. It is important for the person receiving feedback to remain open, understanding that it is a colleague’s observation of a specific behavior or situation and is offered to provide supportive guidance. Open communication and the willingness to accept feedback, no matter how difficult it may be to hear, will create a deep level of trust and the ability to change and grow.
- Focus on Solutions. When offering feedback be prepared with positive solutions that will address and improve the issue or situation. For example, after pointing out the issue, suggest that by addressing the situation honestly, and changing a specific behavior, your peer will avoid the negative impact previously experienced by them, the team, and the organization. Open the conversation up to what behavior could be changed, or different actions taken in the future to improve communications and outcomes.
- Use Your Imagination. If a colleague is having a difficult time understanding the feedback, create a neutral situation and suggest some role-playing/situational analysis. For instance, ask your peer to imagine attending a Harvard Business School class on coaching where students are required to provide feedback to someone who is dealing with a similar issue or behavior. What feedback and solutions would your peer offer?
- Commit to Follow-Up. Encourage your peer to reflect on the feedback and schedule a follow-up conversation. Discuss new insights, including actions that will be taken to address the situation or behavior.
- Be Supportive. Agree to support your peer’s efforts to shift behavior or improve a situation. For example, if the behavior is learning to listen more actively in meetings, agree on a discrete signal that will get them to refocus.
Making the effort to learn how to offer and receive thoughtful, positive feedback, helps senior leaders build stronger, more supportive teams, put aside past narratives that have hindered relationships, and better address business issues to meet their organization’s objectives. An environment that fosters honesty, and transparent communication between executive leaders, will build trust throughout an organization, driving better collaboration, innovation, and business results.
Ted Gerber is an Eleven Canterbury executive expert. He is president of the Addison Resources Group, and is an executive coach specializing in leadership, influencing collaboration, and conflict management.
