Top Feedback Models for Professional Development

Most leaders don’t struggle to give feedback because they lack good intentions, they struggle because they lack the right frameworks. We say things like: 🗣 “This wasn’t good enough.” 🗣 “You need to speak up more.” 🗣 “That project could’ve been tighter.” But vague feedback isn’t helpful, it’s confusing. And often, it demoralizes more than it motivates. That’s why I love this visual from Rachel Turner (VC Talent Lab). It lays out four highly actionable, research-backed frameworks for giving better feedback: → The 3 Ps Model: Praise → Problem → Potential. Start by recognizing what worked. Then gently raise what didn’t. End with a suggestion for how things could improve. → The SBI Model: Situation → Behavior → Impact. This strips out judgment and makes feedback objective. Instead of “You’re too aggressive in meetings,” it becomes: “In yesterday’s meeting (Situation), you spoke over colleagues multiple times (Behavior), which made some feel unable to share (Impact).” → Harvard’s HEAR Framework: A powerful structure for disagreement. Hedge claims. Emphasize agreement. Acknowledge their point. Reframe to solutions. → General Feedback Tips: – Be timely. – Be specific. – Focus on behavior, not identity. – Reinforce the positive (and remember the 5:1 rule). Here’s what I tell senior FMCG leaders all the time: Good feedback builds performance. Great feedback builds culture. The best feedback builds trust, and that’s what retains your best people. So next time you hesitate before giving hard feedback? Remember this: → You’re not there to criticize. → You’re there to build capacity. Save this as your cheat sheet. Share it with your teams. Let’s make feedback a tool for growth, not fear. #Leadership #FMCG #TalentDevelopment #PerformanceCulture #FeedbackMatters #ExecutiveDevelop

5 Feedback Models That Actually Work (Because the Sandwich Method Never Did) Are you still using the old sandwich model for providing feedback? The sandwich model is criticism wrapped in between praise. It misses the mark.  Everyone knows it. They see it coming. Besides, criticism hurts. It makes people defensive. True feedback is clear and honest. It should help people grow, not just soften the blow. Here are 5 ways to give better feedback: - Be direct about what needs improvement. - Focus on actions, not personal traits. - Use specific examples to illustrate your point.  - Encourage questions to clarify understanding.  - Offer support for improvement. Try these 5 much effective models to give clear feedback: The SBI Model:  → Situation: Describe what happened.  → Behavior: Focus on actions, not thoughts.  → Impact: Share the effect on the team or project. The Start-Stop-Continue Model:  → Start: Suggest new actions to take.  → Stop: Identify what’s not working.  → Continue: Praise what is going well. The Radical Candor Framework:  → Care Personally: Show empathy.  → Challenge Directly: Be honest and clear. The Feedforward Model:  → Focus on the future.  → Ask how to improve next time. The CLEAR Model:  → Clarify: Define the issue.  → Listen: Hear their side.  → Explore: Find solutions together.  → Agree: Set next steps.  → Review: Follow up to check progress. Choose your feedback wisely. It shapes your team's success and growth. Be the leader who inspires action through clear feedback.

69% of employees want better feedback. But 85% of leaders don’t know how to give it. Most feedback doesn’t stick. It’s either too vague or too focused on the negative. The GROW model lets you give specific & actionable advice Here’s the breakdown: 1. Goal: - “What’s the outcome you want to achieve?” 2. Reality: - “Where are you now? What challenges are you facing?” 3. Options: - “What solutions can you explore? What have you tried?” 4. Way Forward: - “What’s your next step? How committed are you?” Understand better with an example: Robert’s goal is to improve his presentation skills. Here’s how a GROW feedback would look: 1. Goal: “What’s the ideal outcome for your presentation?” - “I want to be more confident and engage the audience.” 2. Reality: “How do you feel about your current skills?” - “I tend to read from my notes and lose eye contact.” 3. Options: “What could you try to improve?” - “I could practice more, use bullet points, & record myself.” 4. Way Forward: “What’s your next step?” - “I’ll rehearse twice a week & get feedback from a friend.” ⇢ The conversation builds confidence and accountability. ⇢ It moves from abstract criticism to practical steps. ⇢ Robert leaves with ownership of his next steps.

Stop Fixing Your Weak Team Members (Use These 5 Proven Development Frameworks) Building and maintaining a high-performing team isn’t about luck—it’s about intentional evaluation, feedback, and development. Here are 5 proven team development frameworks that every leader should know: 1️⃣ Netflix Keeper Test What it is: Ask yourself: “If this person came to me today and said they were leaving, would I fight to keep them?” How to use it: Be brutally honest. If the answer is "no," think about why. It’s a tool to identify team members who may not align with the organization’s goals and values. Address issues head-on—either through coaching or making tough decisions. 2️⃣ Start, Stop, Continue What it is: A simple retrospective framework: Start new behaviors or actions. Stop what’s not working. Continue what’s effective. How to use it: In team meetings or 1:1s, ask for feedback on processes, workflows, and team dynamics. This fosters continuous improvement and helps your team feel heard. 3️⃣ The GROW Model What it is: A coaching framework for team development: Goal: Define what success looks like. Reality: Assess the current situation. Options: Explore ways forward. Will: Commit to an action plan. How to use it: Use this in development conversations to help team members clarify their goals and take ownership of their growth. 4️⃣ Radical Candor What it is: A feedback approach that emphasizes caring personally while challenging directly. How to use it: Balance tough conversations with genuine support. High-performing teams thrive when feedback is clear, constructive, and delivered with empathy. 5️⃣ Strengths-Based Development What it is: Focus on building and leveraging strengths instead of over-fixating on weaknesses. How to use it: Conduct assessments (e.g., CliftonStrengths) to identify individual strengths. Reshape roles and responsibilities to align with what people naturally do best. Remember: These tools are only effective if used with consistency and transparency. Your team’s success depends on your willingness to have tough conversations, encourage growth, and align on shared goals. Which of these frameworks resonates with you the most? Have you tried any of them? ---- ♻️ Repost if you found this helpful. ➕ Follow Ryan Yockey for more

Conversations of consequence are substantive conversations that allow us to directly address issues, resolve problems, and deliver great results. If we're not able to have these “conversations" at work, it’s likely that we aren't communicating effectively as an organization and limiting our ability to accomplish big things. Perhaps more importantly, when we don't have conversations of consequence, feedback is not getting to the right people at the right time. Feedback (information, data, stories) that are critical to making decisions and understanding how the business is performing in the moment. To help us all, the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) has created an easy to understand and use model for people within organizations to have these kinds of conversations. The "Situation, Behavior, Impact" (SBI) model is a framework designed for people on your team to provide clear and actionable feedback. It helps individuals give feedback in a way that is specific, objective, and focused on observable behaviors rather than personal attributes. The model is particularly effective in professional settings, where clear communication and constructive feedback are crucial for personal and organizational growth. Here's a breakdown of each component of the SBI feedback model: Situation (S): Start by describing the specific situation where the behavior happened. This provides context and helps the recipient understand when and where the behavior took place." Example: "During our team meeting this morning..." Behavior (B): Describe the person's actions clearly and objectively, focusing on what they did without making judgments or assumptions. Example: "...when you interrupted me while I was speaking..." Impact (I): Explain the effects of the person's behavior on others or the situation. This helps them understand the consequences of their actions and how it made you feel. Example: "...it made me feel like my contributions were not valued, and disrupted the flow of the discussion." The SBI feedback model is effective because it makes the feedback clear, specific, and actionable. It avoids generalizations or personal attacks, focusing on observable actions and their consequences. Using this model, feedback is delivered in a non-confrontational way, helping individuals clearly see how their behavior impacts others. It's especially useful for those looking to improve, as the feedback is specific, constructive, and directly linked to real situations. This model can be used in many situations; performance reviews, in cases of resolving conflict, and daily communication. It can help to strengthen relationships and support personal and professional growth. Now that you have the SBI framework, try it out. It should bring a new level of confidence to those "conversations of consequence" we need to be having. #leadership #situationbehaviorimpact #CCL #execution

How to master feedback with the SBI model... Stop wasting time with vague critiques and empty praise. Leverage the SBI method for precise, powerful feedback: SBI Model: S: Situation B: Behavior I: Impact 1) Situation Describe specific context. Keep it neutral Example: "In yesterday's meeting..." 2) Behavior Focus on observable actions. Be objective Example: "You interrupted Jane..." 3) Impact Explain consequences. Show significance Example: "...made it hard to follow" Giving Effective Feedback: Use SBI for: 1) Positive reinforcement 2) Constructive criticism When giving feedback: Be timely → address issues promptly. Be specific → vague comments aren't helpful. Focus on growth → aim for improvement, not punishment. Stay solution-oriented in your approach: Suggest concrete steps for improvement or reinforcement. Collaborate to develop practical solutions together. Always give feedback in person when possible: Avoid relying on written messages - they can be misread. Face-to-face talks allow for better dialogue and understanding. Request SBI feedback from peers: Be clear about which areas you want input on. Make it a regular habit, not just during formal reviews. Listen with an open mind and avoid getting defensive. Managing your reactions to feedback: It's normal to have emotional responses - acknowledge them. See feedback as a chance for personal and professional growth. Reflect on past experiences to improve future reactions. Mastering SBI enhances communication. Improving work and personal relationships. Found this useful? Follow Jonathan and reshare.

Do you want commitment or compliance? Today’s work environment often lacks depth. Conversations feel surface-level, and true engagement is rare. Too many leaders fall flat on communicating with staying power. Take feedback as an massive example. Like you, I've asked for it. And what I got back was lame. "You are awesome!" "We love you!" "Keep rocking it!" Yeah!!!! What does that even mean? The best cultures use a 5:1 feedback ratio: Five specific,  positive observations  for every corrective one. It’s not “keeping things nice.” It’s about showing your team what works—so they feel relevant. Specific feedback fuels: 1. Trust—when listening goes beyond the surface 2. Engagement—when strengths are reinforced 3. Ownership—when feedback creates a clear path forward 4. Commitment—when employees feel truly valued Your team doesn’t need more direction. They need reinforcement that resonates. Positive, specific feedback gives them a clear picture  of their contributions. Here’s how to do it: Focus feedback on Situation, Behavior and Impact (SBI) 1. Situation: “In yesterday’s team presentation, when we discussed our quarterly goals, 2. Behavior: I noticed you shared specific insights on our new strategy, 3.Impact: which helped clarify our direction and got the team excited to move forward.” 4. Pause: Let them respond and you get to learn. :::Try it immediately::: 1. Connect with 5 team members this week. 2. Use the SBI Method with positive feedback examples. 3. See them light up. See commitment increase. Specific feedback breaks past surface-level conversations. It builds trust, resilience, and genuine commitment. How could a 5:1 feedback ratio impact your team’s engagement? Share in the comments how feedback has affected your career, life. __________________________________ This is your Moment of Choice What are you going to do? Had a great day yesterday teaching new and emerging leaders how to give feedback and coach their people with impact.

Feedback is one of the most underrated leadership skills. 👇 Done wrong: It frustrates teams and stalls growth. Done right: It drives development and aligns everyone to success. Here’s the good news: You don’t have to guess how to give feedback. These 5 proven feedback models can guide you: SBI Model: Precision in Feedback ---> Situation, Behavior, Impact. Laser-focused clarity. STAR Model: Navigating Success ---> Situation, Task, Action, Result. Highlight paths to improvement. EEC Model: Example, Effect, Change --->  Specific examples and improvement strategies. Turn feedback into a growth roadmap. 360-Degree Feedback --->  Gather input from every angle. Build a culture of openness and holistic growth. IDEA Model: Blueprint for Improvement ---> Identify, Describe, Effect, Action. Actionable insights that cultivate progress. These frameworks help leaders deliver feedback that: ➟ Drives clarity ➟ Promotes growth ➟ Builds trust Because the best leaders don't just manage teams... They develop leaders. -- Enjoyed this post? Share it & follow Alan (AJ) Silber

Stop giving ineffective feedback. Here are 4 powerful models to use: 1. For 1-on-1 meetings: The S.B.I. Model ↳ Situation: Set the context ↳ Behavior: Describe specific actions ↳ Impact: Explain the consequences 2. For performance reviews: The GROW Model ↳ Goal: Set clear objectives ↳ Reality: Assess current situation ↳ Options: Explore possibilities ↳ Will: Commit to action 3. For team settings: 360-Degree Feedback ↳ Gather input from all directions ↳ Focus on specific competencies ↳ Provide a holistic view 4. For every situation: Feedback Sandwich ↳ Positive start: Open with encouragement ↳ Constructive core: Address areas for improvement ↳ Positive end: Close with reinforcement Remember: Effective feedback is: - Timely - Regular - Balanced - Actionable - Specific - Empathetic Which model will you try in your next feedback session? Share your thoughts below! 👇 --- Enjoyed this post? ♻ Repost to share with your network and follow me César Solís for more on strategy, professional development, and mindset.

"I'm just going to be direct with you." I once had a business partner who would preface feedback this way—and then just spew whatever was on his mind. He thought he was being helpful, but he wasn’t. He wasn’t positioning the feedback in a way that the person could hear it. He only wanted to get that feedback off his chest. That’s not a good leader (... or colleague, or friend, or parent.) If you have feedback to give, think about how you can deliver it in a way that will be well received. The Situation-Behavior-Impact model (link in comments) is the best approach I've seen. Instead of jumping straight to judgment, you: 1. Start by getting on the same page about the situation. 2. Then, you describe what you observed. No assumptions about intent. It’s clear and objective. 3. Then, you finally share the impact. This framework has impacted every relationship I have in my life. I even used it with my kids. When they'd come to me, complaining about each other, I taught them this approach, and over time, they learned to address their issues with each other directly. As adults, they’re now excellent at giving feedback to each other and their friends. And, of course, to me! Developing the skills to give and receive honest, thoughtful feedback is one of the most valuable things you can do for your culture. How are you equipping your teams with these skills? Ready to dig deeper? Subscribe to my email newsletter for more leadership insights. https://lnkd.in/ePKX2VC8.