Art of Delivering Constructive Feedback: Techniques for Senior Associates and Partners
Introduction:
I remember when I was just a paralegal working at Allen & Overy, handling various tasks and thinking, “I can’t wait to be on the other side, giving out tasks and being the clever one checking someone’s work and telling them what they did wrong and why.” Then it became true, and here I was, a junior lawyer, giving different paralegals a couple of tasks. They turned them in, and as I was checking the work, I found many mistakes. There were parts that needed to be written differently, typos, and outdated references that they obviously forgot to check. So, I just repaired everything I thought was broken in the document and wanted to share how disappointed I was with their work.
How do I do that? I wouldn’t yell or scream—that is really not my style—but at the same time, I really wanted them to feel that it is not okay to turn in this kind of work and expect it to go unnoticed. My “performance” was very far from ideal.
Everyone agrees that by delivering constructive feedback effectively, we can foster a team that quickly learns from mistakes and continuously improves to the desired standard. Good feedback is essential for professional growth and team success. It can significantly impact morale, productivity, and the overall atmosphere in the workplace.
Now, when I deliver workshops on how to give feedback to senior associates or coach partners, my own experience helps me understand them much better. Nobody taught them how to do it right; they don’t have time to think about it for long, and often they feel angry at the person for not doing great work. So why should they spend their time thinking twice about how to say things?
When discussing ways of giving feedback, I often need to push my coaching clients a lot to role-play with me and actually show me how they do it because one of the problems for people not improving over the years is that there is no feedback loop. You give feedback typically to people below you in the organization’s hierarchy, so they obviously will not be able to lecture you on why something you said about their mistakes was not right. Because of this non-existent feedback loop, you just keep doing it in a certain way and might realize that people complain about you behind your back, do not want to work with you, or start searching for another job.
So I really need to find out how people do it. We would role-play a situation where I am the associate who has done something wrong in the assigned work, and they come to see me and want to share this feedback. They would typically say things like:
• “Why have you done it this way?”
• “You cannot do it this way, do you understand why?”
• “It took me several hours to redraft it after you. This cannot happen again.”
My first response would always be: What do YOU want to achieve by giving this kind of feedback?
In this article, we’ll explore practical techniques and actionable tips for giving feedback that truly helps your colleagues develop their skills and improve their performance. By understanding the psychology of feedback, using structured methods, and fostering open dialogue, you can turn feedback from a source of anxiety into a tool for empowerment and growth.
Key Points:
1. Understanding the Purpose of Feedback:
• Feedback should help people grow, not just point out what’s wrong. It’s an opportunity to guide and support team members toward their professional goals, which sounds glamorous, but if you want to look at it more selfishly, it can be a way of saving more of your time in the future by helping them understand why something was not done to your standard.
• Good feedback is specific, focused on behaviors and outcomes, and aimed at improving performance.
One partner shared a story about how he used to receive “feedback” in his junior associate days. “My partner stormed into my office, slapped the draft on my desk, and said, ‘How can you write something like that? Do you understand how this actually works?’ I felt embarrassed and defensive, and it took me a while to regain my confidence.” This type of feedback didn’t offer any guidance and damaged the working relationship because I was afraid of making any mistake whatsoever, so everything took four times longer.
2. The SBI Model (Situation-Behavior-Impact):
• The SBI model helps you give clear and specific feedback. It avoids confusion and ensures the feedback is useful.
• Feedback using the SBI model is broken down into three parts: Situation, Behavior, and Impact.
An associate mentioned, “I once received feedback where the partner simply said, ‘This isn’t what I expected from you,’ and walked away. I was left wondering what exactly went wrong and how I could fix it.” This shows how important it is to set a clear agenda for feedback sessions and be specific.
3. Using the SBI Model:
• Situation: Describe the context in which the behavior occurred to provide clarity.
• Behavior: Focus on the specific actions observed, avoiding generalizations.
• Impact: Explain the effect of the behavior on the team, project, or organization.
• Example: “In last week’s client meeting (Situation), you interrupted the client several times (Behavior), which seemed to frustrate them and disrupted the flow of the conversation (Impact).”
If we take the example from the top where the partner said, “How can you write something like that? Do you understand how this actually works?” By using the SBI model, the feedback could have been: “During the contract review (Situation), you missed the clause on liability (Behavior), which could lead to potential legal issues for our client (Impact). Let’s go over it together.”
4. Encouraging a Two-Way Dialogue:
• Invite Perspective: Encourage the recipient to share their viewpoint and listen actively to their feedback.
• Collaborate on Solutions: Work together to identify ways to improve and set clear, achievable goals.
• Example: “How did you perceive the meeting? What do you think we could do differently next time?”
5. Focusing on Development and Support:
• Offer Guidance: Provide specific, actionable suggestions for improvement and express your willingness to support their development.
• Follow Up: Schedule follow-up meetings to review progress and continue the conversation.
• Example: “Consider allowing clients to finish their thoughts before responding. If you need help with this, we can work on some strategies together.”
Examples:
• Ineffective: “You messed up the presentation.”
• Effective: “During the presentation (Situation), you skipped over the financial analysis section (Behavior), which left the clients with unanswered questions (Impact). Let’s make sure we cover all key points next time.”
• Ineffective: “You’re not meeting expectations.”
• Effective: “In the past month (Situation), I’ve noticed some delays in your work submissions (Behavior), which has negatively impacted our project timelines (Impact). How can we address this?”
Conclusion:
Delivering constructive feedback is an indispensable skill for anyone delegating work to someone else with the intention of getting the work done right. When executed with care and precision, it not only addresses immediate performance issues but also fosters a culture of continuous improvement and mutual respect. By preparing in advance, utilizing the SBI model, encouraging open dialogue, and focusing on development, leaders can transform feedback into a powerful instrument for growth. In doing so, they not only enhance individual performance but also contribute to a more collaborative, productive, and resilient organization.
Roman Zakovsky is an executive coach and trainer whose clients include A&O Shearman , Baker McKenzie , BBH, advokátní kancelář, PRK Partners, attorneys at law , HAVEL & PARTNERS, SOTIO Biotech or Deloitte. He is an expert on client communication, relationship building and business development.