Full Stack Ninjas Feedback
Continuous improvement and the pursuit of excellence are fundamental values at Full Stack Ninjas. Knowing our individual strengths and shortcomings is necessary for self-improvement, which is necessary for attaining excellence. But as humans, it is difficult for us to accurately assess our own advantages and drawbacks. Thus, it is important to receive feedback from those in our lives, so that we can achieve a better understanding of ourselves, and develop in both our personal and professional lives.
Feedback can be both positive and negative. In our personal life, this input can come from friends and family. In the professional setting, this feedback can come from managers and colleagues.
Providing and taking in feedback (especially criticism) is not always easy. Generally, when we are being given criticism, our first reaction is to become defensive and try to prove that the criticism is wrong or lash out at the person giving it. Giving criticism is just as challenging. Informing someone that they need to better their performance or behavior in certain ways can be uncomfortable and come across as confrontational. Humans are social creatures and most of us want to avoid conflict and situations where we might make someone else feel bad. Therefore, it is natural for us to refrain from giving criticism, especially in the professional setting.
Feedback is important for growth and self-betterment, thus being unwilling to accept or give it can have a negative effect on our private and professional lives. Bearing this in mind, we are going to outline a framework for providing and taking in feedback at Full Stack Ninjas. We are confident that if we all understand how to give and take feedback, and we expect to do both, then it will make them easier to do.
Feedback giving process at Full Stack Ninjas
It is expected of everyone at Full Stack Ninjas to give feedback on occasion. Managers are accountable for their team's performance and progress, so they are expected to provide feedback more often. Nevertheless, non-managers are also expected to give feedback to their managers and their peers occasionally.
A HHIPP Approach to Feedback
Approximately one year ago, a book by Kim Scott, Radical Candor, was published. Kim has had leading roles at Apple, Google, and Netflix, and has been a CEO trainer at several top Silicon Valley businesses. In Radical Candor, Kim presents the HHIPP approach to giving feedback, which is the framework we are going to utilize for providing feedback at FSL.
HHIIPP feedback is:
Humble
Helpful
Immediate
In-person
Private criticism / public praise
Not about personality
Humble: The individual giving feedback should be humble. This means that they should not think that they are better than the person they are giving feedback to, and they should be open to the possibility that they could be incorrect. This does not mean that they should be apologetic or uncertain. It just means that they should be ready for challenges and be open to the chance that they are mistaken. They should give feedback firmly and with rationalization, but be open to reexamining their view in light of new data. "Strong beliefs, loosely held" is a good description of this attitude.
Helpful: In the end, the purpose of feedback is to assist the person getting it to better themselves. So the individual giving the feedback should approach the situation with this in mind. In order to convey the message plainly, without being obscure, the communication should be direct, frank, and clear. However, the general tone should be helpful. "Feedback is a gift, not a whip or a carrot," Kim Scott says.
Give Feedback Immediately: At FSL, everyone is anticipated to give and take feedback. We understand that it is not always simple, but we believe that by establishing a lucid framework and by being open to feedback, we can all become better people, both in our private and professional lives.
Give feedback in person: The most significant step of the HHIPP process is giving criticism in a private, face-to-face setting, rather than through Slack or email, especially not in public channels. Nonverbal communication is essential in conveying the true meaning of your message, and to recognize the other person's reaction. People have a tendency to assume the worst when they receive criticism in writing, believing the other person is angry or upset when they may not be. As an example, a manager might send a Slack message that when misconstrued could be interpreted as a warning. To avoid any miscommunication, it is best to give criticism in person, although this is not always possible due to the remote environment. Zoom meetings are almost as effective as in-person meetings.
Praise in public, criticize in private: Feedback should follow the rule of "praise in public, criticize in private". Public criticism has a tendency to cause a person to become defensive and makes it more difficult for them to accept their mistake and learn from it. On the other hand, public praise makes the recipient feel empowered and encourages others to do the same. Hey Taco has been a great tool for providing public praise, so everyone is encouraged to use it.
Don’t make feedback about the person: Feedback should be given with a level-headed and professional attitude. It should focus on the work, not the individual. For example, "I think that's wrong" is better than "You're wrong", and "That was a great presentation because X, Y, Z" is more beneficial than "You're great at presentations". Furthermore, feedback should be polite, such as saying "Please work on your UX skills" instead of "Work on your UX skills".
How to receive feedback at Full Stack Ninjas
Expect Feedback: At Full Stack Ninjas, it is expected that feedback is given out to all individuals, irrespective of rank or title. It is vital that everyone, from the owners of the company to the junior level employees, strive to better themselves and take in the opinions of their peers and superiors. Therefore, feedback should be embraced by all.
Don’t Panic: When you get comments from a manager it can lead to uneasiness or dread, making you feel like your position is in peril or you won't be able to progress in your career. This is often not the case. We are all imperfect, making blunders all the time, so we should anticipate getting feedback regularly. Just because you had a misstep in one area does not mean you are not doing well in other areas.
We have established the "FSL Performance Improvement Process" to help distinguish between regular and more severe performance issues; it can be found here. Do not mistake typical, constructive feedback with performance improvement warnings, which must be documented using this form.
Seek to understand, not defend: It is understandable to react defensively when getting feedback. Nobody likes to be told they made an error or need to grow. Yet being able to accept, comprehend, accept, and act on criticism is key to personal development - both on an individual level and for the business as a unit. Thus, we must be conscious of our natural impulse to protect ourselves against criticism, and instead attempt to grasp it. To do this we should:
Take the time to think about the feedback and ask questions to comprehend precisely what it means.
Look for proof to back up the criticism.
Look for evidence to disprove the criticism.
Talk about both with the individual giving the feedback.
If you think the criticism is unjust, meaning there is no proof to support it, you should communicate your point of view to the person giving the feedback in an even-tempered, non-defensive way.
In general, when receiving feedback the goal should be to find as much truth in the feedback as possible, then develop a plan to improve as quickly as possible.
Managers can find it difficult to give feedback to an employee who right away becomes defensive, combative, and hard to handle. When this happens, the discussion goes from the issue and how to fix it to interpersonal issues and mental states. This has no result and is irritating for everyone involved, and it can make a minor issue into a much bigger one. For example, coming to meetings late regularly won't have a major effect on your job, yet being unwilling to own up and improve will.
Closing Thoughts
At the beginning of my career, I used to work for a clever, successful, and very truthful CEO of a flourishing software startup that was eventually bought by Accenture. He was known for being direct and speaking his mind. One day, I got an email from him that said:
"I have seen many typos and grammar slips in your emails. If you send emails with typos and grammar mistakes people are going to think you are not intelligent, which will have a major adverse effect on your career. I don't want people to think you are not smart, so you need to become better at spelling and grammar rapidly."
To be honest, my initial response was astounding. I thought I was doing a decent job, and was taken aback to hear this. My second response was denial...I thought he must be wrong, or he was being too harsh and paying too much attention to details. I asked him to give me samples, expecting he would be unable to do so. He quickly provided a few examples and said he could give a lot more if required. At this moment I realized he was right, and that this was something I had to enhance. Therefore, I devised a plan and quickly progressed over the next few months.
I did not like getting this feedback. It was awkward and caused me a large amount of stress and anxiety. And I'm sure he did not like conveying it...giving feedback is a semi-confrontational, and socially uncomfortable thing to do. But if he had not given me this feedback, I would have kept making the same errors, which could have had an unfavorable impact on my career in many ways. I do think he could have given the feedback in a way that was simpler for me to accept. Utilizing "stupid" in his communication raised the likelihood that I would have an emotional and defensive response, and decreased the likelihood that I would take in and act on his feedback. So we must not use this kind of language when giving feedback at FSL.
This incident led me to the realization that excellent managers who are devoted to their team are willing to provide direct, honest feedback to help their team get better, even though it can be uncomfortable and socially uncomfortable to do so. Poor managers who don't really care a lot about their teams do not give open feedback and instead, go for the easy way out of dodging conflict and sidestepping uncomfortable exchanges. Consequently, when your boss gives you feedback, please attempt to comprehend them, and recognize that it is as hard for them to give you feedback as it is for you to get it, and please keep in mind that your supervisor giving candid feedback is a strong sign that they care about you and want you to succeed...so much that they are ready to have hard conversations and put themselves in socially uncomfortable scenarios. On the other hand, a manager that never provides feedback, and never challenges team members to progress is a manager that does not care enough about their team and puts their own comfort before what is best for their team members.
TLDR
Getting feedback is vital for individual development and self-progress.
All people at FSL are obligated to both give and accept feedback.
When giving feedback, it should be HHIIPP
Humble
Helpful
Immediate
In-person
Private criticism / public praise
Not about personality
When receiving feedback, we should
Expect feedback / not be surprised by it
Don’t panic, there’s a difference between feedback, and chronic underperformance
Attempt to comprehend, not just justify.
Providing feedback is a demonstration that we are invested in each other and want to support each other's progress.
A leader who responds to their team members with constructive criticism is a leader who is compassionate and is willing to prioritize their team's wellbeing over their own convenience.
A supervisor who does not provide honest feedback is one who is less invested, and who puts their own comfort before aiding their team members in their development.