October 2009

Dear ICF Greater Richmond Members and Friends

I believe feedback is crucial in helping adults to learn.  And, I am now more thoughtful about how I use feedback in my coaching. More on this in a minute.

I spent a weekend in Raleigh, NC watching my daughter compete in a three-day horse show.  For hours I observed hundreds of riders participate in jumping events.  (Think Olympics, but lower.)

My daughter’s total competition time for three days: 4 minutes, 28 seconds.  Many parents know this routine from other sports!

At the exit gate, I heard numerous trainers give feedback to the riders as they left the arena.  Some praised and then offered corrective observations, ending with words of encouragement and confidence. Some started with the negative and never said what went well. Some yelled. Some asked the riders what they thought of the performance.   Some patted the horse and said good try, offering no specifics.

What will happen to the riders whose feedback was neither useful nor productive? What opportunity was lost to learn, adjust, and improve?  And what could I learn from the hours invested in listening to the trainers’ assessments?

Now I turned to our riders, our coaching clients. When and how often should we offer feedback? What is the best way for them to have more self-awareness about their behaviors and make changes?  What approach to feedback can best help clients make changes to reach their goals? What is keeping the blind spot out of sight for them?

I actually enjoy giving feedback to clients. It is an important component of my coaching.  As an internal coach, I get to observe many of my clients in their everyday business settings: meetings, hallway conversations, grabbing a coffee.   I am making assessments of them and sometimes offer feedback. I began to wonder if I’m too quick to offer those assessment and losing opportunities to inspire self-discovery.

I collect feedback from a wide range of client constituents. I just interviewed 17 colleagues for one of my clients.  The feedback has helped my client see several blind spots that were so apparent to others.   Or, so I think.  Again, I am wondering now if I could have coached her in ways that enabled her to discover these blind spots for herself.  Did I take the easy way out and meet more of my own needs rather than determining the best approach for the client to learn? Perhaps I have.

As hundreds of young horseback riders keep jumping in my head, I will take a renewed approach to my own model of sharing feedback.  I offer feedback by focusing on behaviors without being judgmental, by being positive, timely and specific, and by helping the client make choices about what actions to take, and that’s all good. I also know that I will no longer jump to feedback as quickly. Instead, I’ll take more time to coach the client through those blind spots with challenges and questions that get them to self-discovery.

I guess one great outcome of those hours on the bleachers at the horse show was this feedback to myself.   What feedback can you give yourself about your own coaching approach? What’s your blind spot?

Denise G. Kasper