Mastering Constructive Feedback in Agile Leadership A Quick Guide

Business-Strategy

Agile Project Management

Woman making thumbs up and thumbs down representing positive or negative feedback

Augusto Davalos

Apr 08, 2024

Constructive feedback is a cornerstone of effective leadership, driving continuous improvement and fostering a positive work culture. Whether you're a Scrum Master steering a team or an executive leader guiding an organization, mastering the art of constructive feedback is paramount.

In this quick guide, we'll explore strategies, debunk myths, break down feedback types, and provide practical tips for leaders to successfully navigate feedback conversations.

Constructive Feedback vs Criticism

Constructive feedback is often mistaken for criticism, but the two are quite different in their purpose and how they are delivered.

Criticism often lacks solutions and can generate a negative or toxic atmosphere. Constructive feedback, on the other hand, requires more effort than merely pointing out mistakes and expecting improvements

The point of feedback should be about nurturing development, bolstering strengths, and encouraging positive changes in a supportive manner. It’s important to remember that constructive feedback fosters a continuous improvement culture, builds trust, encourages open communication, and increases the team’s morale.

Which Approach Is Most Effective?

Constructive feedback is more effective than criticism because it focuses on growth and development, rather than merely pointing out flaws or weaknesses. It highlights strengths, identifies areas for improvement, and offers guidance on making positive changes while maintaining a supportive environment. In contrast, criticism often does not provide solutions, leading to demotivation and a negative atmosphere.

Giving constructive feedback is an art that requires preparation, thoughtful delivery, and a focus on behavior rather than personality traits. The feedback sandwich (or PCP), giving praise, criticizing, then giving praise again, doesn’t work.

How to Master Constructive Feedback

These nine crucial steps can help business leaders know how, when, and where to provide constructive feedback and encourage a culture of continuous improvement.

Preparation: Gather thoughts and information
- Review performance or behavioral issues
- Gather examples (facts) to support observations
- Identify desired outcomes
Choose the right time and place
- Select a private and comfortable location
- Ensure adequate time for the conversation
- Avoid emotionally charged situations
Describe the situation
- Start by sharing context to increase understanding and appreciation of the situation on the receiver side.
- Be specific about when and where it occurred.
- Be mindful of your language and tone.
- Use clear, concise language.
- Maintain a respectful and empathetic tone.
- Avoid accusatory language.
- For example: “Hey guys I organize our meetings so that the schedule works for everyone, and we can all minimize our time in meetings and spend more time on our tasks. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday of this week, at our Daily Scrum meeting with the client at 12:30 pm…”
List your observations
- Describe the actual observable behavior with objective, without finger-pointing, specific examples, and instances.
- Focus on actions and behaviors, not on the person.
- Stay objective and evidence-based.
- Don’t insert opinions or judgments.
- Remember that feedback should not be focused on your benefit, but rather for the person receiving the feedback.
- Continuing my earlier example: “...we couldn’t start our meeting on time since A joined our call at 12:32 on Monday. On Tuesday B joined at 12:34 pm. And on Thursday, B and C joined at 12:35 pm.” Instead of saying “You don’t care about the rest of the team’s time”.
Describe the impact of the behavior
- Without judgment, share how you truly feel about the facts, creating awareness of the impact, without blaming anyone in particular.
- Explain why you feel that way.
- Use “I” statements to express your perspective.
- Example: “I felt frustrated and embarrassed since we all as a team agreed on the time, and the ones who joined the call on time had to give excuses to the client for the people that were late.”
Inquire about intent

For an even better result, you can turn the one-way communication into a two-way conversation by asking the other party about their intent.
- Inquiring about intent prevents us from relying on assumptions.
- Asking about the original intention of a person’s behavior/action will build trust and understanding.
- Example: “What were you hoping to achieve with this behavior?”
Be clear on the desired outcome
- Explain your needs to make sure the receiver understands or realizes what is important to you.
- Explain the expected outcome.
- Example: “It is important to me that we start our meetings on time so we respect everybody’s time, especially the client’s time.”
Work together on a plan
- You allow the people involved to figure out what needs to be done to close the gap between needs and facts, and you offer a suggestion or two to move things forward (actionable recommendations).
- Involve the recipient in problem-solving.
- Encourage growth mindset.
- Example: “I hope you can start being on time for all of our calls, and I will be happy to set a reminder 5 minutes before the meeting starts in our Outlook invite.”
Follow up and monitor progress
- During the feedback, be sure to establish a timeline for a follow-up.
- Monitor progress and provide further feedback if needed.
- Recognize and celebrate improvements.

Wrapping Up

Understanding the essence of constructive feedback is crucial for cultivating a thriving agile environment. Steering clear of ineffective approaches, such as the feedback sandwich, and emphasizing preparation, clear communication, and behavioral focus, leaders can skillfully navigate feedback conversations.

For a Scrum Master, the focus should not only be on pinpointing areas for improvement, but actively participating in collaborative problem-solving. Through consistent follow-ups, progress monitoring, and celebration of improvements, Scrum Masters contribute significantly to shaping a positive, open, and ever-evolving Agile work culture.