Life-giving feedback is a must for all leaders desiring to go to the next level.
Effective leaders know that in order to lead with clarity and precision, accurate feedback is a must. What is Feedback? It’s the art of collecting insight from others and factoring it into your personal leadership equation.
The founder and president of Lifeforming Leadership Coaching, Dr. Joseph Umidi, calls feedback “the breakfast of champions!”
Feedback is a lost art in many Christian circles. Why? Because we’ve mistakenly assumed that by virtue of our calling and anointing we are immune from error. Nothing could be further from the truth. Blind spots abound in all leaders; hence we need of timely input from trusted peers.
To experience life-giving feedback regarding your leadership style, you must be open to respected colleagues in your leadership sphere. Sound dangerous? It can be! Here are a few tips to help you navigate the landmines of leadership feedback:
1. Good feedback originates from those closest to you.
Your most valuable feedback generally comes from your inner circle - those who know you best and love you most. They really can see your blind spots but won’t discharge them until asked.
That person may be a spouse, a best friend – maybe a close co-worker or partner. Never turn a deaf ear to those who care most.
2. Good feedback often comes in the form of a “written feedback.”
Peers and close colleagues often respond best when presented with a list of open ended questions – that is questions that can’t be answered with a mere yes or no response. The more powerful your questions; the better the response.
Written feedback is invaluable; and many will write it clear than they would say it. Some would call it a “360 degree assessment.”
3. Proper response to feedback often requires S.E.A.
S.E.A is an acronym for Support, Encouragement and Accountability. Often, trained coaches are needed to help fill this supportive role.
We generally need someone to walk beside us until the new discipline is formed. Old habits are hard to break!
Conclusion:
As previously stated, many leadership circles today are using another term for feedback called “360 Degree Assessments.” The idea is this; those closest to you are asked to respond to a standardized set of questions regarding your temperament, character and leadership skills.
This evaluation is then compared to your own response to the same questions, thus providing the leader with a clearer view of him or her self - aiding the leader’s self awareness and growth.
An excellent resource for this is an assessment called the “Flippen Profile” by Flip Flippen. FYI, his book is called “The Flip Side,” available at Amazon.
Are you ready for a little feedback? Then go for it! Make a quality decision to become a better leader in 2008!
Coach John
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