Using Feedback to Enhance Team Collaboration in Consulting

Want to build trust & transparency in your team? Start with 360-degree feedback: At work, nothing matters more than trust & honesty. 360-degree feedback is a (fantastic) way to do this. I’ve seen it: -Boost performance -Increase collaboration -Improve team dynamics -Create a happy work culture 360-degree feedback lets everyone share their thoughts. It makes employees feel important & brings teams closer together. Here’s a step-by-step blueprint to start using 360-degree feedback: 1. 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗖𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀 What do you want to achieve? Better Communication? -360-degree feedback helps employees talk about hard topics. -This increases happiness & reduces the chances of exit. Find Skill Gaps? -When you locate skill gaps you can help employees improve at their jobs. -Getting feedback helps you locate missing skills. Boost Morale? -Employees are happier & more engaged when they see changes from THEIR feedback. 2. 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 Pick a feedback tool that’s easy to use! Choose tools that are simple & match your needs. Options include: - Interviews - Focus groups - Online surveys Make sure the tools cover what you want to assess & are reliable. 3. 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺 Teach your team how to give (& receive) feedback. -This includes learning how to give & receive feedback the right way. -You should stress honesty & respect via feedback to build trust. -Training helps ensure feedback is useful. 4. 𝗘𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗔𝗻𝗼𝗻𝘆𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘆 Make the process anonymous to get honest feedback. - Find what works best for your team. - Anonymity fosters (honest) feedback without fear of trouble. - Anonymity encourages honesty, but being open can build trust. 5. 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁 & 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘇𝗲 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 Get feedback from different sources & look for patterns. -Gather feedback from coworkers, team members, & bosses for a complete picture. Looking at feedback helps find patterns & areas to improve. 6. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 Share feedback in a way that helps. -Highlight both strengths & areas to improve so employees understand their performance completely. -Give feedback that helps people grow, don't point out mistakes. -Encourage improvement. 7. 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗨𝗽 Have a plan to follow up on the feedback. -Regular follow-ups show your company cares about feedback (this builds trust & engagement). -Create & track plans based on feedback to ensure it leads to (real) improvements. 𝗧𝗟𝗗𝗥 360-degree feedback builds trust & honesty. Follow these steps: 1. Set clear goals 2. Choose the right tools 3. Train your team 4. Ensure anonymity 5. Collect & analyze feedback 6. Provide helpful feedback 7. Follow up Are you ready to use 360-degree feedback to build trust & honesty?

Being smart doesn't matter if people don't like collaborating with you. In my commitment to continuous improvement, I value constructive feedback. As part of this process, I regularly posed four questions to my colleagues to enhance our working relationships. How did I use these? - Approximately every six months, I reach out to team members with the four questions listed below. I express that responses are entirely voluntary, with no set timeframe for replies. - Recognizing that not everyone may be comfortable providing direct feedback, I offer an alternative option. Team members can share their thoughts with my manager, who can then incorporate the feedback into a performance review or discuss it anonymously during our 1x1. - I use a spreadsheet to organize the insights. Each question gets its own column, and I fill in the rows with the feedback I get. This enables me to identify recurring themes, helping us focus on areas that contribute positively or require adjustment. The outcomes of this feedback loop have been instrumental in shaping my working relationships but also come through in my performance reviews: 🌟 2023 “Phyllis’ greatest strength is her constant drive to make things better – the product, processes, and relationships with those around her. Phyllis is always open to asking for feedback and incorporating the feedback quickly.” 🌟 2022 “A very consistent theme in your peer feedback is your constant focus on seeking feedback and improving upon it.” 🌟 2021 “You continue to be a culture add to the team and care about making the team better through sharing information, feedback, and creating an environment where everyone feels welcome.” The four questions I asked are: 1. What are things I’ve done that you’ve found helpful? 2. What are things I’ve done that you’ve found frustrating or confusing? 3. What do I need to know about you or how you work that could help our working relationship? 4. What are some challenges you’re facing at the moment? Please let me know: how do you navigate the world of peer feedback? Share your wisdom or give it a shot and let me know how it goes! I’m sure those around you will appreciate it.

Here are two coaching techniques I've found effective for transforming team performance: 1. Real-time group feedback: At the end of each monthly and quarterly team meeting rhythm, I provide direct observations about the team’s dynamics to reinforce what's working, address fundamentals, and name issues that need attention. This creates immediate insight, sets expectations, and illuminates a path to improve. 2. CEO post-meeting debriefs: After these sessions, the CEO and I connect 1-on-1 to review the contributions, behaviors, and patterns for each executive (including the CEO). These candid conversations reveal strengths to leverage, blind spots to address, and coaching opportunities both for the CEO with their team and for me with the CEO. What’s the real value? Most CEOs never receive real-time, objective, honest feedback about how they and their executive team interact and perform as a team. Without this outside perspective, growth opportunities are missed, unproductive behavior patterns persist, and accountability for results weakens. In contrast, these two powerful feedback techniques drive lasting behavioral change and measurable team performance gains. How do you build self-awareness, collaboration, and accountability for your leadership team (as a team)? And if you’d like to learn more about team coaching, just ask! #ExecutiveCoaching #LeadershipDevelopment #Accountability #Feedback #Debriefs