The Importance of Clarity in Feedback

We all have our heroes. Football fans have Brady, hockey players have Wickenheiser (#smashthepatriarchy), musicians have Bowie, artists have … Van Gogh? I’m guessing? Dunno. But as a lifelong student of leading others, I have Brene Brown.

And Brene has taught me that ‘Clear is kind. Unclear is unkind’. I have learned through experience that clear is much easier said than done when it comes to feedback.

Why is that?

**Spoiler alert: like most things in leadership, it starts with you. **

A lack of clarity often comes from the inability to push ourselves out of our own comfort zone to have the tough chats that, deep down, we know need to happen.

We can make ourselves feel better by pretending it’s a complex issue, or that we are worried about how the person receiving feedback will take it and don’t want to hurt their feelings. But in the end, it’s hard to give clear feedback because it can be very uncomfortable.

Unfortunately, the only way to build a strong, productive and engaged team is through meaningful (sometimes awkward) feedback. But there are ways we can make this feel better for all involved! And luckily, it’s pretty easy to remember:

Situation – Behaviour – Impact

(Center for Creative Leadership, 2021)

1.   Situation – describe the specifics of what happened

2.      Behaviour – state the facts and observable actions you witnessed occur

3.      Impact – describe why this conversation matters. What results occurred (either good or constructive) that you felt were important to bring up?

I have started using this with my team and have found it extremely helpful – and to practice, I made sure I started with positive feedback! Being clear with what people are doing really well at is just as important as clarity around where they need to improve. Not only does that get me more comfortable with the process, but it gets my team used to the style and cadence of the feedback while building trust and rapport with my team.

If clear is kind, be kind.