Femella – the challenge of giving feedback

How feedback is perceived

On one side, feedback is a fundamental aspect of workplace communication, often perceived as a straightforward task. Many assume that giving feedback is simple or even unnecessary, viewing it as a mandatory formality rather than a valuable tool for growth. Feedback is often infrequent and poorly executed, since it is a threat to self-esteem. When badly executed, it can make the person feel judged, provoking stress and a defensive attitude, limiting the consideration of feedback. On the other side, effective feedback has key advantages:

• Enable necessary changes while maintaining and reinforcing desired behaviors
• Assist individuals in forming a clear self-image
• Meet individuals’ interpersonal need to understand others’ perceptions of them
• Facilitate information exchange between two individuals working together to resolve issues (having a conversation on equal terms)
• Strengthen and encourage a culture of continuous learning
• Allow transparency and a chance to establish confidence

Feedback has been studied for a long time and included in many psychological theories, for the right reason: to increase motivation and performance. The famous Job Characteristics Model by Hackman built in 1976, the Job-Demands Resources Model by Bakker built in 2007 or the Goal-Setting Theory by Locke (1990), to not cite many.

Giving feedback – Femella

As you have seen, earlier on in May, Personality Guidance and Femella met for a workshop, where it was the perfect opportunity for them to reach their full potential, with personality understanding and self-awareness. Prior to the event, each participant completed an individual Hogan personality test (focus on the Hogan Personality Inventory, HPI), which was interpreted during the workshop. This is where the importance of feedback comes into place. In this interpretation, we helped Femellas learn more about their personality and how their strengths shape their leadership approach.

How did we make sure that the Femella’s feedback on their personality was effective?

Below, you can see four different feedback models, suggested by Personality Guidance, as a good basis for effective feedback. The first example, the SBI Model, shows how we used personality feedback in our workshop with Femella:

S for Situation

When providing feedback, it is crucial to give specific and justifiable examples. The first step is to describe the situation in question. Consider the example of a Femella scoring high on Interpersonal Sensitivity. A pertinent scenario to exemplify would be to describe a meeting at work where the Femella in question, the company director, and another colleague must decide whether to fire someone.

B for Behavior

In such a meeting, the femella scoring high on Interpersonal Sensitivity will exhibit certain behaviors. She will strive to maintain harmony, perceives the political dynamics at play, and understands that firing someone could disrupt the team’s harmony. Consequently, the femella might find it difficult to make a decision, as she wishes to avoid conflict. While giving the feedback, it is therefore essential to focus on behaviors.

I for Impact

While giving the feedback, we can insist on the consequences of that behavior. That behavior can impact the meeting by causing the director to be perplexed as to why the Femella is hesitant to make a decision. The desire to preserve social harmony could affect her perceived ability to lead and make tough decisions. However, it is also essential to highlight the positive aspects of this personality trait. The Femella would likely choose her words carefully to avoid hurting the person’s feelings, speaks gently and kindly when delivering the bad news, offers support such as job placement services, and provides resources to cope with the job loss. Her body language would be open and comforting, including leaning forward, maintaining eye contact, and possibly offering a reassuring touch if appropriate.