I am used to giving feedback quickly and precisely. As a former basketball coach, you could see me at games giving feedback from the sidelines, calling timeouts, or providing more detailed advice during halftime. On the court, feedback is often one-way. But as a principal, receiving feedback improves my game as well.
Three Frames for Feedback
When I'm preparing to give feedback to teachers or staff, I frame the conversation as either validation, refinement, or correction.
Validate: Look for ways to encourage the good work you see happening on your campus. Focusing on what is strong instead of what is wrong will help you see the results of initiatives you and your staff worked so hard to implement. People need to know where they are excelling and how they are contributing to the good of the school. Write encouragement cards or give verbal feedback that specifically points out what others are doing that makes a difference. Practicing gratitude is a culture builder that costs nothing but time.
Refine: This is the most common reason for feedback; however, it is usually delivered in a way that misses the opportunity for growth. To avoid this pitfall, be sure to validate what teachers are doing well before identifying where they should make small adjustments. Try statements like these:
- This lesson was relevant and engaging to the students. Have you considered doing [insert idea] to take it to the next level?
- You did an amazing job connecting with your students during this activity. Think about incorporating [insert idea] next time and see what happens.
- I noticed that you incorporated a number of ideas that we have been exploring as a staff. What is your plan for implementing [insert idea] in upcoming lessons?
- I noticed that you contributed more during the discussion today. How can you ensure that your voice is heard more often during team meetings?
Correct: Corrective feedback is used when you want someone to completely stop doing something so they can begin doing something else. Corrective feedback is direct, clearly describes the behavior that needs to stop, and provides a replacement behavior.
Welcoming Feedback
Principals, challenge yourself to be open to receiving feedback just as often as you give it. Consider adding the following strategies to your school leadership toolbox.
Surveys: These invite your school community to give feedback on how your leadership is working for individuals and the organization as a whole. I always give people the opportunity to put their name on their responses so that I can circle back to them. Being able to address specific issues is hard to do if the feedback is anonymous, but I can still use these responses as insights to help me grow as a leader.
I have over 1,200 students and 130 staff at my school, so it can be a challenge to engage with everyone on a daily basis. However, when survey feedback revealed that my colleagues wanted me to increase my visibility and presence on campus, I took notice and—more importantly—took action. Now, I start the morning by reciting the pledges, the moment of silence, and our school motto. This lets everyone know I am in the building even if they don't see me. I created a walk-through log to ensure I make my way through the entire building each week and I'm more intentional about being in the hallways during transitions. It's still challenging to balance my office workload with increased visibility, but sharing with my staff that I am working on this as a result of their feedback helps hold me accountable.
Check-Ins: Conduct periodic, formal and informal, in-person check-ins with your staff. These conversations help leaders keep track of staff needs, so that you know where to provide support, guidance, or coaching. This is how relationships are built over time. When checking in, lead with questions about the individual and always close by asking how you can help:
- How are things going?
- What is really working well for you this week/quarter/semester?
- How is your team performing right now?
- What is one area where you need support or resources?
- How can I help you with what you are currently working on?
Listen to the Grumble: As difficult as it may be, listen to the complaints and concerns. This is an area where I constantly have to force my mind to be open. Leaders tend to see most things from a positive perspective or as a temporary obstacle to overcome. This makes it hard to tease out the real issues interlaced within grumbles and complaints. Once you get over the sting of the words, listen to understand. Try using the "five whys" protocol. For each problem, ask a why question to drill down to the core issue:
- Students keep coming to class tardy. Why?
- They spend so much time hanging out in the halls. Why?
- Because they would rather socialize than start class. This leads to unsafe behavior or students running to class 30 seconds before the bell. Why?
- There are not enough adults monitoring hallway behavior. Why?
- Because they are in their classrooms instead of on hall duty. Why?
- Core Issue: Consistent hall monitoring is a problem in many areas of the building.
In the example above, the grumbling started about the students, but the problem was really with the adults. Take the time to listen to the grumble so that you can determine whether the issue is a problem with a clear-cut solution or a dilemma that requires further consideration.
Remember, feedback is a two-way street. Whether you value the source or agree with the feedback is not the issue; use it as an opportunity to grow. To apply another basketball analogy, consider effective feedback as a well-executed give-and-go offensive play. As leaders, we must be able to successfully pivot between delivering targeted feedback and then getting open to receive feedback. The only way to get better at both is to practice.