Silver pen following a dotted line to a vertical line of boxes with red check marks in them.

If Asked, Would Your Team Say You Are a “Good” Manager?

4 Tips for Navigating Feedback

I recently read a post that listed five red flags indicating that your boss is a bad manager. It left me thoughtful for several reasons. Firstly, I could identify a few supervisors in my lifetime who embodied all the red flags indicated in the article. However, if you asked these same supervisors if they believed they were good managers, they would likely say yes or respond with something like, “the numbers speak for themselves.” This adds a whole new level to the discussion because now, are we talking about managers who oversee people or managers who oversee programs? Is it even possible to separate the two?

Secondly, it made me wonder if I am actually a “good” manager. Honestly, if someone asked me, I would answer yes. So then, how do I know for sure? Especially since, more than likely, I would give the same answer as someone who demonstrated the red flags.

Self-awareness plays a huge role in every area of our lives, especially if we are leading others. The only way to truly know is through feedback. According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, feedback is defined as “the transmission of evaluative or corrective information about an action, event, or process to the original or controlling source.”

Feedback can present itself in many forms, such as (to some managers’ point) the numbers. Are they hitting, exceeding, or not meeting their goals? That could be an indication of program leadership. It can present itself physically meaning either high personnel retention or turnover. It can also present itself verbally and/or in written form from direct feedback, surveys, reviews, etc. In this case, I would like to point out that there should be criteria upon which this determination is based because “good” in and of itself is an ambiguous term left up to interpretation. For example, many people believe cilantro tastes “good.” However, I am not one of those people… but I digress.

My point is, you will never really know if you don’t ask for, evaluate, and implement feedback. The challenge with this is that a lot of people don’t seek out feedback. Why is that? Are they fearful of what they may hear? Will it be full of what they believe to be falsehoods, or even worse, will it validate the weaknesses that they already know about themselves?

Asking for feedback is not for the faint of heart, but it is absolutely vital to be an effective leader.

Here are a few tips to ask for and navigate feedback:

1. Build Trust: This is the first step in requesting feedback and it happens well before you actually ask for it. From the time you start leading your team or working with colleagues, you must work to establish trust so they feel comfortable delivering candid critique. If you demonstrate that you are not open to feedback, chances are, when you ask for it, either you won’t receive it or you won’t receive honest feedback that can actually help you grow as a leader.
2. Actually Ask for It: Feedback can be requested verbally, through surveys (anonymous or known), 360 reviews, by phone, email, to name a few. Whatever you do, actually ask for it.
3. Review the Feedback with an Open Mind: Often, our first response to reading feedback that we disagree with is to dismiss it. I would like to challenge you to mull it over and give it some consideration. Weigh it against your values and character. If it applies, see step four. If it doesn’t, then dismiss it. Don’t just automatically dismiss it, though, especially if someone is upset. Their delivery may be unacceptable (which can discuss that in another session), but it doesn’t automatically mean what they are sharing is incorrect.
4. Implement Change if Applicable: If you find some truth in the feedback and are empowered to do so, devise a plan to implement change. There is nothing more effective to boosting team morale and receiving ongoing constructive critique than people seeing their feedback actually being put into action. Not all suggestions or feedback can be acted upon, which is okay. However, be sure to notify the team that, at that time, that particular suggestion or feedback cannot be acted upon. At the very least, this shows the team know that they were heard.

Navigating feedback is much more nuanced than these four tips. There are many other factors to take into consideration… and what about positive feedback? Some people are uncomfortable with positive feedback as well. If you would like to learn more:

1. Catch my podcast, Navigating Feedback
2. Join me for a Lunch and Learn session
3. Book your one-on-one coaching session

Either way, at the very least, ask for that feedback and implement change. It won’t always be easy, but it is necessary and vital to earn the title of effective, wonderful, good (and any other positive adjective you would like to add here) manager, leader, and/or supervisor.

Nicole R. Smith Sitting in a chair cross-legged wearing a gray dress, holding an orange purse on her lap, leaning on it and smiling into the camera.

Nicole is a Panamanian-American, workforce development specialist, published author of Game On! Relentlessly Pursue Your Dreams and the 101 Note-taking Affirmation Journal Series, globally recognized motivational speaker, blogger, podcast host of From The Suggestion Box; Navigating Feedback The Good The Bad and the Say Whaaatttt??? and dancer. She earned her Bachelor’s degree via a Division I full-ride track scholarship and after graduating, she founded Step It Up! Inc., a non-profit dance organization that allowed her to perform for audiences nationwide and used dance to teach teamwork to kids in after school programs.

Her experience in sports entertainment, radio, TV, the performing arts, social services and education has spanned nearly 20 years covering the Chicago, Houston, Ft. Lauderdale/Miami and Orlando markets. She has danced and cheered for four Professional and Semi-Professional sports teams, has prepared more than 800 interns to enter the workforce and has inspired crowds upwards of 2000.

She has been a proud mentor for the Tessitura Network’s Early Career Development program for the past three years which is a free program dedicated to diversifying Arts leadership. She has the opportunity to mentor young arts professionals of Latino, Black and Asian decent to help them not only find their voice, but express it in the board rooms in arts organizations.

She was a contributing writer for The Life of a Single Mom for two years and has been published in several industry journals including The Volunteer Management Report, Human Capital Leadership Magazine and Chronicle Philanthropy Magazine.

As a nod to her belief in continuous education, in 2021 she earned her certification in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace from the USF Muma College of Business.

She has received several accolades to include being named in the Marquis Who’s Who for professionals, receiving an Emerging Leader Award from Alive Impact Awards for Volunteer Engagement Professionals, awarded the Amplifying Voices Award from United Latinas, being listed as one of WLRN’s “Local Women Who Inspire You” and being selected as one of Legacy Miami’s Most Prominent and Influential Black Women In Business and Industry of 2019.

She is passionate about giving back to her community and is a former Board member of Association for Leaders In Volunteer Engagement, Arts and Business Council of Miami and Ageless CHIC Magazine.