Giving and receiving feedback is essential. Without feedback, people will be flying blind when it comes to an understanding of how they might improve. The problem, though, feedback is often focused on the past.

To enhance your feedback, look to provide some feed-forward. What strengths and qualities do you see in the other which can help them improve? Whether your feedback is positive or negative, feed-forward can help them draw on the strengths they have.

One caution though – be careful about turning feed-forward into advice by telling them what to do. Giving advice comes with the danger of being given responsibility for the outcomes.

Use powerful questions and let them identify their actions. For example:

• “Which of your strengths would help you …?”
• “You are <state a quality you see in them>. How might this quality help you achieve the outcomes you want?”

You’ve got this.