Feedforward and Accountability

You may know the work of leadership expert, Marshall Goldsmith. We do and we love the positive, future focused, and inspiring messages he has been crafting for nearly thirty years now. Marshall's most recent best-selling book, What Got You Here Won't Get You There (2007) has been garnering well-deserved accolades from business leaders all across the country. We find that his leadership messages resonate well with our focus on accountability based performance improvement, and we wanted to share a couple of Marshall's insights with you.

Reading his new book inspired us to look at the broader library of his work for additional linkages between our two approaches to building leaders. One particular article caught our attention, Try Feedforward Instead of Feedback. Click here for a copy of the article. Marshall makes the case that feedback often focuses on past behavior rather than future possibilities. While most of us offer feedback with good intentions, feedback tends to reflect on past behaviors, and frequently contains critical, even judgmental comments.

The concept of feedforward aligns exceptionally well with our accountability based process for changing habits of performance execution. While the typical approach to improvement is to look at what isn't working and analyze the problem, an accountable approach to improving performance execution identifies the desired outcome first and then determines the habits necessary for accomplishing that outcome.

We share Marshall's preference for focusing on the future possibilities, rather than the mistakes of the past. In that spirit, we asked Russell Bishop, our Managing Partner, to interview Mark Samuel and comment on Marshall's article and expand upon the linkages between our approaches.

Editor: What stood out as you read Marshall's article on feedforward?

Mark: I noticed that Marshall offers a simple, straightforward process for demonstrating feedforward, and his process is fairly similar to our focus on changing habits of performance execution.

Editor: Can you say some more about the similarities?

Mark: Sure. Marshall's article outlines a simple five step process to get yourself on the feedforward trail. Those steps are summarized here:

1. Pick one behavior that you would like to change.
2. Describe the behavior to others.
3. Ask for feedforward – two suggestions for the future that might help achieve positive change.
4. Listen attentively without making comments (positive or negative).
5. Thank others for their suggestions.

Our accountability based process for changing habits of performance of execution is actually quite similar. Our six step process asks you to:

1. Identify a desired outcome that you are not yet achieving. For example, this could relate to service, quality, making a decision, or implementing change.
2. Based on your desired outcome, identify a habit of performance execution that you want to change in order to be more successful. Remember that a habit of performance execution is an action you take that is linked with other people and is necessary to achieve a common outcome. For example, this could be a change in your process, communication, behavior, or follow-up activity.
3. Describe the new habit of performance execution in as much behavioral detail as possible answering the question, "What do I need to do differently in order to exhibit a different habit that could lead to better results?" We frequently ask teams to consider the same question in terms of what both the individuals as well as the whole team need to do differently.
4. Share the new habit of performance execution with others involved with or impacted by the new habit for fine-tuning and agreement.
5. Identify two or more suggestions from all who are involved to begin taking actions necessary to implement the new habit of performance execution. This could include changes in your own behavior as well as supportive behavior from others as the change is being made. This step specifically matches the concept of "feedforward."
6. Identify a time to follow up for identifying what worked and offering new suggestions for increasing success in the future.

Editor: What is it about feedforward and changing habits that seems to work so well?

Mark: Both approaches rely on some commonsense approaches to working with human beings in a caring and future focused way. In particular, we both agree that:

• We can change the future. We can't change the past. There is so much time wasted in organizations attempting to "figure out" what went wrong. This often leads to a focus on blame rather than on what can be done differently the next time to achieve better results.
• It's more productive to help people be right, rather than prove them wrong. In the process of developing new habits of performance execution and offering suggestions to implement those new habits, we are reinforcing people's ideas and suggestions. This leads to more ideas and less defensive posturing. This is solution focused, not problem focused.
• This approach is especially suited for successful people and teams. Marshall writes: "Successful people like to get and give ideas that will help achieve goals." We know from our work that successful people focus on their desired outcomes, not their mistakes and setbacks. This is true for people who are successful in business as well as top performing athletes, musicians, and theatrical groups.
• Both approaches reinforce the possibility of change. Rather than focusing on what didn't work, which can cause self-doubt and discouragement, both feedfforward and an accountable approach to changing habits focus on new possibilities. Most people find it inspiring to focus on positive change and making a difference, especially if the context is in the affirmative. Both approaches underscore the assumption you can improve and that you don't have to be bad in order to get better.
• Feedforward and the accountability based approach get results much faster. Time isn't wasted on analyzing what didn't work or the "debate" that often occurs when people hash over the past and look for what went wrong. People like to move quickly, taking action focused on producing new results that are both desired and supported.
• Both approaches apply to managers, peers, and team members. It doesn't matter what team you are a part of, the process works, builds confidence, and provides a roadmap for achieving higher levels of success.

We would be pleased to send you a free copy of the article Marshall wrote, Try Feedforward Instead of Feedback.

To receive your copy, click here.

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