Messing with Marshall Goldsmith's Feedforward #coachgoldsmith #coaching

I love the well-known approach that executive coach Marshall Goldsmith uses called “feedforward.” Feedforward is an alternative to giving feedback that is easier and more helpful. Here is how feedforward works. The performer states how he or she would like to develop or grow in the future. This should be a simple statement like:

• I would like to build stronger collaboration within my departments.
• I would like to become a more effective listener.
• I would like to spend more time building talent.
• I would like to think, act, and lead more strategically.

With a feedforward exercise, each person shares his or her goal and asks for ideas for how they can accomplish it. The “coach” offers a few ideas and the performer says, “thank you.” Then they switch roles. Here is a description of why feedforward works from Marshall’s website:

“Feedforward helps people envision and focus on a positive future, not a failed past. Athletes are often trained using feedforward. Race car drivers are taught to, "Look at the road ahead, not at the wall." Basketball players are taught to envision the ball going in the hoop and to imagine the perfect shot. By giving people ideas on how they can be even more successful, we can increase their chances of achieving this success in the future… Negative feedback often becomes an exercise in "let me prove you were wrong." This tends to produce defensiveness on the part of the receiver and discomfort on the part of the sender. Even constructively delivered feedback is often seen as negative as it necessarily involves a discussion of mistakes, shortfalls, and problems. Feedforward, on the other hand, is almost always seen as positive because it focuses on solutions - not problems… Successful people like getting ideas that are aimed at helping them achieve their goals. They tend to resist negative judgment.”

I saw Marshall Goldsmith facilitate 500 leaders doing feedforward at the same time at a leadership conference and I have used the technique in groups of many different sizes and it always works because it removes all the mental garbage that often comes with feedback. Anyone can offer you ideas and it is not so important that the ideas be right, great, or even good. We will all give and receive ideas that are great and ones that are lousy ideas. No matter! The power of feedforward is that we talk ourselves back into our goals each time we articulate them, we get some good ideas, and we turn on our peers’ awareness of our goals, increasing the chances they will continue to support us in helpful ways in the future.

“A fool learns from his experience. A wise person learns from the experience of others.” Otto von Bismarck

I have built on Marshal Goldsmith’s idea of feedforward with the following mutations that are useful for various situations including the following:

• Reverse feedforward: This is done when we proactively offer support based on goals expressed by a peer. “Sally, I know you are working on becoming more strategic, how can I support you in working on this?”
• Reverse feedforward with a twist: Like the mutation listed above, but with a tempting offer. “Sally, I know you are working on becoming more strategic, I happen to play golf with the professor of strategic studies at the University of Cincinnati and he owes me one. Would you like it if I set up lunch between the three of us? I would love to learn more about strategic thinking, too.”
• Reverse feedforward up and down: Get group members to write down five skills/strengths and five things/skills they want to learn more about. Then put folks in pairs and have them compare lists and offer to either coach or be coached when there is a match. After five minutes, participants switch off and do this again with another group member. Repeat several times and then ask participants to follow up on at least one match up per month. This will catalyze coaching up and down the generations. "Sally I see that you want to learn to use technology for team communication. That's a sweet spot for me and I would be happy to share what I have learned. Also, I see that you list listening as a strength. I would love to learn to be a better listener and would love to hear how you do it."
• Barrier blaster feedforward: This type of feedforward offer help to blast away current barriers. “Sally, I am struggling to get my proposal and presentation done and ready for the offsite. I am getting bogged down _______. What tow ideas do you have for me that you think would help me zoom forward again?”
• Staff meeting feedforward mini-session: Start each staff meeting with 10 minutes of feedforward. Encourage each leadership team member to ask for ideas that will help him or her have an amazing week/month.

What do you think? Give feedforward a try and keeping using it. This is not something that only works once. If you asked for ideas every day, it would work every day. You do not need to take and act on every idea you get, but you should show thanks for every idea, even the seemingly ridiculous ones.

Feedforward, and the mutated versions we have offered, are great ways to increase peer coaching conversations and effectiveness.