Revisiting Formal Feedback Sessions with Leadership

Borrowed

“For a leader, giving feedback—both when things are going well and when they aren’t—is one of the most fundamental aspects of the job. Mastering this skill means that you can knock down two of the biggest barriers preventing your reports from doing great work—unclear expectations and inadequate skills—so that they know exactly where to aim and how to hit the target.”

From “The Making of a Manager” by Julie Zhuo [Book]

Learned

During our weekly leadership meeting this past Wednesday, I received some unexpected shout outs and walks down memory lane for my 12-year “Barrel-versary.” It completely caught me off guard and meant a lot.

Design Director Christine shared a memory from when I used to take team members out for coffee or tea during our one-on-ones. She remembered how I took her to her favorite coffee shop to give her the news of her promotion, and had no idea how I knew she loved it there. That whole morning came back to me. I told the team I felt all warm and fuzzy, no better way to describe it. But also a little nostalgic. Those days in the office feel like a lifetime ago.

Christine’s story also got me thinking about feedback and performance management, something I’ve grown passionate about over the years at Barrel. For years now, I’ve had a vision for a culture where feedback flows freely between individuals without judgment, just a desire to be better. Based on what I observe each day, I think we’ve made real progress and continue to improve every year.

However, when it comes to formal feedback, I’m the first to admit that I haven’t been as consistent as I’d like in providing it to my direct reports, like I was earlier in my career. We have a performance management process in place for the larger team, but I think there are nuances to how the leadership team operates that I made a conscious choice to do things differently. But recently, I've been revisiting what that looks like.

Currently, I rely on my one-on-ones with direct reports, weekly touchpoints, group sessions (like this one), and other interactions to share my thoughts on how they're performing and to solicit feedback from them. I often find that real-time feedback and reflection are the most impactful. But I also recognize the value in carving out space for more structured conversations, for both sides.

Formal feedback isn’t just about performance or areas for improvement. It’s also about vision. It’s about helping someone see what’s possible, sharing the potential I see in them, and aligning on the path ahead. And for me, understanding areas where I can be better.

Last week, I committed to scheduling time on everyone’s calendar to have these conversations each quarter. Funny enough, I found myself revisiting the same Google Docs I used to prepare for those old coffee outings; this was before Christine shared the memory. The format has changed slightly, but the underlying thinking is the same.

For now, here's how it will look: Each person will have their own document with notes from each session listed consecutively. Supe simple. I find it helpful to have everything centralized and to track growth over time.

Ahead of the meeting, I’ll prompt folks to come prepared with any feedback or ideas for me. On my end, I’ll review how I think the person is doing, then explore areas for opportunity. Looking forward to getting back into this rhythm.

Thought

What kind of feedback has been most impactful in my own growth, and am I passing that on?