Working with feedback using the feedback staircase
The key to effective leadership and good communication largely lies in the ability to both give and receive constructive feedback. This helps employees develop and perform better.
The feedback staircase is a model that explains various stages of feedback in a professional manner, showing how receptive and open a person is to feedback. These levels can be used to provide effective and meaningful feedback. The first three steps are about the recipient’s attitude, even if the feedback is constructive.
When a person reaches the last two levels of the staircase, understand and change, they accept the feedback and take it to heart. The final step is where real change happens, and it’s where we should all strive to be.
Step 1 – Reject:
This is the basic level of feedback, where the focus is on describing a performance or event without giving any judgment. Even if the feedback is delivered correctly, the person will not be receptive to the information and will reject it. For example, the recipient may deny the feedback and the problem.
Step 2 – Resist:
In the second step, the person still resists the feedback, even though they don’t flee from the situation. However, they react and work against it to defend and protect themselves. The recipient of the feedback may acknowledge that there is a problem to some extent.
Step 3 – Explain:
Feedback delves deeper by explaining why something is good or bad. This is the most common step in the feedback staircase and involves the recipient of the feedback rejecting criticism that may have been discussed, even if it’s constructive. The feedback recipient acknowledges that there are issues but adopts a defensive position and is therefore very aware of providing explanations.
Step 4 – Understand:
In the fourth step, the person accepts the constructive feedback provided. This step includes suggestions or advice on how the person’s performance can be improved. To further assist the recipient, you provide guidance or concrete suggestions to help develop the individual.
Step 5 – Change:
The final step is the most advanced level, where the recipient listens, asks questions, and processes what has been discussed. Here, the person is ready to absorb the information and strives to become better, being receptive to change. It’s about creating a dialogue where both the sender and receiver can reflect and explore different events to further develop.
