Feedback Or Coaching : When And Why To Use Either Or
Coaching and feedback are two tools used for developing our folks and their leadership. But coaching and feedback are not interchangeable practices. While these practices may both contribute to one's growth and development, they serve really different purposes. So what are the differences and when is it appropriate to use coaching instead of feedback or vice versa? First, let’s talk about what’s different.
We use feedback to name, for the person receiving the feedback, observable specific behaviors that had an impact, good or bad, on the person(s) observing the behavior or action. Once we provide feedback we are then asking for someone to either continue the behavior or change it. For example, if the feedback is about how a team member contributed to a team project in a way that was collaborative and made the full team feel included you might offer them feedback as appreciation for that behavior and request they continue to show up that way. With coaching, you are holding space for someone to come to their own action and behavior shift to grow, learn, lead, etc. Different from feedback, coaching is often not about specific observable behavior or action but can be about many things related to an opportunity, a challenge, self-exploration, growth or learning area, etc. In coaching, instead of making a specific request about behavior or action, you are supporting the individual to come to their own solutions which may or may not have been something you observed. Now when do we use these two practices differently?
We use feedback when there is a behavior or action that is specific and we want to make that observation visible to the individual and be proactive in continuing the behavior, in the case of appreciative feedback, or discontinuing or changing the behavior in the case of constructive feedback. Often with feedback, it’s a technical action for which there is a known solution, 1+2=3. With coaching, even though you may be familiar with the individual you are coaching and their areas of strength and growth, the change is something they instigate. There may not be a clear solution or answer for whatever the individual needs coaching around. For example, let’s say an individual is wondering if they should take on a new leadership role in an organization. In that action, they may be weighing multiple factors. Do I have the bandwidth to take on this new role? Do I have the skills needed? Is this something I’m even interested in doing? How does the role contribute to their growth and learning? In this case, if you’re coaching the individual you’re not solving the problem for them but instead asking provocative questions to help them come to their own conclusions.
For folks of color and disabled people that have often been harmed by deficit-based and dominant culture approaches to professional development and performance management, coaching can be the better approach. For individuals who experience internalized oppression, feedback is often heard as something is wrong or broken about you and that can trigger a defensive response where the person is not able to hear the feedback in a constructive way. Whereas coaching, not to be confused with therapy, allows for self-determination where individuals can unpack for themselves the thing(s) that are getting in their way.
If you want to learn more about giving feedback and coaching and the values of both. Sign up for our Transformative Leadership for Managers Workshop, registration for the February session is open and spots are limited.
