012 - The Coach Up: A Magness Masterclass on Feedback
Feb 12, 2024
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Learn valuable insights from coach Steve Magness on delivering feedback effectively and receiving it with grace. Explore strategies for delivering feedback that avoid creating a defensive mindset. Understand the importance of focusing on the problem, not the person, when giving feedback. Gain self-awareness and empathy through giving feedback to others. Coach Steve Magnus provides masterclass advice on feedback, emphasizing timing, openness, and curiosity about others' experiences.
Assess the person's receptiveness before giving feedback, creating an open state for better acceptance.
Focus on the problem, not the person, and make feedback future-focused for growth and improvement.
Deep dives
Importance of Openness in Feedback
When giving feedback, it's crucial to assess if the person is open or closed to receiving it. If they have just performed poorly or had a negative experience, it may be best to wait for a more receptive moment. Steve Magnus emphasizes the need to create an open and receptive state in the person before delivering feedback. This can be achieved by allowing time for the individual to decompress, engaging in positive conversation, or seeking out the right psychological state for receiving criticism.
Effective Strategies for Giving Feedback
Steve Magnus offers valuable tips for giving feedback. First, rather than using the traditional feedback sandwich approach, he suggests focusing on the problem, not the person. By addressing the issue at hand and avoiding personal criticisms, feedback can be more effectively received. Additionally, he emphasizes the importance of making feedback future-focused, encouraging growth and improvement rather than dwelling on past mistakes. Avoiding punishment or negative emotions tied to criticism is also essential to create an environment receptive to feedback.
Navigating Feedback as the Receiver
Steve Magnus provides guidance on how to handle receiving feedback. He advises adopting an open mindset and attempting to see the feedback from the perspective of the giver. Being curious about the underlying reasons behind the feedback can help identify areas for improvement. Steve also encourages utilizing feedback as an opportunity for self-awareness, examining personal reactions and recognizing any potential defense mechanisms or attachment to one's identity. Ultimately, embracing feedback as a chance for growth and accountability can lead to personal and professional development.
Growth comes from facing weaknesses, and we learn about those weaknesses from getting feedback. But feedback has a way of raising our defenses. Which means helping others grow by giving feedback—or growing ourselves, by taking feedback—is fraught with challenges. Luckily, Steve Magness's countless years as both an athlete and a coach have earned him some insights into the practice of delivering (and receiving) criticism. On this episode of The Coach Up, he gives you a primer: how to give it, what he thinks about the insult sandwich, and even ways of making feedback resonate with someone whose big ego might be getting in the way.