Feedback - 'be bold and ask'

Want to know what others think of you, how you are perceived? One of the best ways is to actively seek feedback. 

Feedback is often in short supply, so what can managers do to find out what their staff/superiors think of them? "I would be bold and ask for feedback," says Dr. Cindy Wahler. 

"The premise and platform should be in the context of recognising that it is hard for us to see ourselves and difficult for us to understand how we impact others. The objective is to learn how we may be more effective and better leaders."

Effective feedback models - three key ingredients

• Timeliness
• Transparency
• Balanced—Strengths and Opportunities

"Feedback should entail these three components: how we get things done, how we lead our team and how we partner across the organisation," adds Dr. Wahler.

Promoting leadership behaviours

Feedback also directly impacts retention and staff development, so is a key part in ensuring that organisations make the right hiring decisions. "All organisations should be conducting an ‘audit’ through a number of avenues that do include 360 feedback, shareholder value, employee engagement surveys and rate of retention."

The ability of the manager to promote and cultivate next generation leaders is key as "the 360 feedback must provide concrete examples of how the manager does embody and promote the company’s core values through their leadership behaviours".

You can find out more Dr. Wahler and her work at www.cindywahler.com. She also writes extensively, is a regular contributor to Forbes.com and an affiliate of Pivot Leadership.