Providing effective coaching feedback is crucial for growth and improvement.

Giving Feedback
Be Specific: Focus on specific behaviors or actions rather than generalizations. For example, instead of saying “You need to improve,” say “I noticed you missed a few deadlines last month.”

Use the "Sandwich" Approach: Start with positive feedback, then address areas for improvement, and finish with encouragement. This helps maintain a constructive tone.

Be Timely: Provide feedback soon after the observed behavior. This helps the recipient connect the feedback to their actions more easily.

Focus on Actions, Not Personality: Critique specific behaviors rather than making it personal. For example, say “The report needed more data” rather than “You’re not thorough.”

Encourage Dialogue: Allow the recipient to share their thoughts and feelings. This fosters a two-way conversation and promotes understanding.

Set Clear Goals: When discussing areas for improvement, set clear, achievable goals for the individual to work toward.

Be Empathetic: Approach feedback with empathy. Consider how the other person might feel and frame your message accordingly.

Follow Up: After providing feedback, check in later to see how they’re progressing and offer further support if needed.

Receiving Feedback
Stay Open-Minded: Approach feedback with a willingness to learn. Avoid being defensive; instead, listen to understand.

Ask Clarifying Questions: If something isn’t clear, ask for specific examples or more details to better understand the feedback.

Reflect on the Feedback: Take time to consider the feedback and how it applies to your actions. Reflect on how you can improve.

Express Gratitude: Thank the person giving you feedback. Acknowledging their effort encourages a positive feedback culture.

Take Action: Create a plan to address the feedback. Set specific goals and monitor your progress.

Seek Regular Feedback: Don’t wait for formal reviews. Regularly ask for feedback to stay on track and show your commitment to improvement.

Maintain Perspective: Remember that feedback is a tool for growth. It’s not a personal attack but an opportunity for development.

1. Coaching and Feedback
Mark Cannon

2. What is Coaching?
•Coaches enhance employee ability and
performance by facilitating:
–Learning
–Informed choice
–Internal commitment to growth

3. What are the most effective of
methods of developing
employees?

4. Factors That Drive Development

5. Korn/Ferry’s Lominger 360
Competency Ratings
•Coaching (“developing direct reports and others”)
rated lowest (3.37/5.00) of all 67 competencies
•Feedback (“confronting direct reports”)
rated (3.40/5.00) in the bottom 10%

6. Focusing on Your Experiences,
Interests, and Current Challenges
•The Change Process / Missed Developmental
Opportunities
–Too often, employees do not proactively work on improving their
weaknesses.
–They also miss opportunities to continue their growth and
development.
–Why don’t we see more continuous, successful growth and
development?
•Key Targets for Coaching and Development:
–Where do you see the greatest opportunities for coaching and
development in your organization? What knowledge, skills,
abilities and performance would you like to see enhanced? What
are some examples?

7. Almost every executive I meet is successful
because of doing a lot of things right, and
almost every executive I meet is successful in
spite of some behavior that defies common
sense. - Marshall Goldsmith

8. Typical Growth Pattern

9. Why are people not more
successful at making constructive
changes in their behavior?

10. Conditions for Growth and
Development
•Accurate perception of current performance
–Where do I stand now?
•Clear vision of desired end state
–Where do I want to be?
•Motivation to change
–Why should I make the effort to change?
• Means of making the change
–How will I get there from here?
•Ongoing assessment, support, and follow-up
–How will we establish accountability and support the change process?

11. Key Coaching Skills
•Developmental Relationship
•Active Listening
•Questioning
•Assessment
•Feedback
•Goals
•Action Plans
•Ongoing Assessment, Support and Feedback

12. Coaching Styles
(Bacon & Spear, Adaptive Coaching)
Directive Facilitative
They help by instructing and
advising; by sharing their
knowledge, experience, and
perspective; and giving feedback
and corrective suggestions on
what they’ve observed
They help by asking insightful
questions and listening; by
stimulating their subordinates to
think, reflect, and explore; and by
helping others observe themselves
and learn from their own
experiences.

13. Directive Versus Facilitative
•What do you see as the costs and benefits of
directive coaching and facilitative coaching?
–When is a directive style as most useful?
–When is a facilitative style as most useful?
•Which style is more comfortable for you?

14. Directive Versus Facilitative
•How do employees prefer to be coached?
–Directive 35%
–Facilitative 65%
•Directive coaching can be particularly useful in
establishing and clarifying performance expectations and
helping employees see performance gaps
•Facilitative coaching tends to help employees “own”
performance problems and be more proactive in taking
personal responsibility for their own development
–87% of employees said they prefer coaches who ask questions rather
than “being told what to do.”

15. Directive Versus Facilitative
Benefits
Directive
•Clarifying expectations
•Giving actionable feedback
•Establishing accountability
•Technical or factual learning
•Addressing performance problems
Facilitative
•Building employee motivation and internal commitment
•Encouraging ownership
•Developing complex capabilities (leadership, judgment, etc.)
•Promoting deeper learning
•Developing goals
•Designing action plans

16. Developmental Coaching
•Developmental Coaching—Supports continuing
development in current role or in preparation for future
roles
–May require a shift in our frame of mind
–The distinctive developmental coaching skills are active listening and
asking powerful questions
•A Developmental Frame of Mind
–Focus on employee’s learning needs versus what you know
–Play the role of facilitator versus expert or director
–Transfer commitment and responsibility for development to the
employee versus holding them yourself
–Impact versus speed

17. What is Framing?
•A frame is an a set of assumptions that guides
our attention and effort.
•We are often unaware of our frame and how it
is impacting our effectiveness.
•Reframing (adopting and applying a different
set of assumptions) is often helpful in
increasing our effectiveness.

18. 2

19. Goal: What we want to achieve
Reality: The circumstances we’re dealing with (or how we
perceive them)
Options: How we might move from our Reality to our Goal
Way Forward: What action we want to take
“GROW”

20. Source: “You Already Know how to be Great,” Alan Fine, 2010

21. Performance: Faith, Fire and Focus
Faith: Belief in one’s ability to succeed
Fire: Passion, energy, commitment
Focus: Attention, concentration
Source: “You Already Know how to be Great,” Alan Fine, 2010

22. Key Coaching Skills and Desired
Coaching Outcomes
COACHING OUTCOMES
•Accurate Perception of Current Performance
•Clear Vision of Desired End State
•Motivation to Change
•Means of Making Change
•Ongoing Assessment, Support, and Follow-up
COACHING SKILLS
•Developmental Relationship
•Active Listening and Questioning
•Assessment and Feedback
•Goal Setting and Action Planning
•Ongoing Assessment, Support, and Feedback

23. Research Findings on Goal
Setting
•Challenging goals produce better performance
•People may abandon goals if the goal becomes too hard
•Specific challenging goals are better that “Do Your
Best” goals
•Participation on goal setting increases commitment and
attainment of goals
•Feedback and goals improve performance
•Management support is critical

24. S.M.A.R.T. Goals
•Specific goals
•Measurable goals
•Agreed upon
•Realistic
•Time specific