Feedback is a gift and..

At some point in life, you have probably heard someone say, “feedback is a gift”.  It’s become a bit of a cliché saying in the corporate world, but feedback can be an impactful and powerful tool for growth when given and received with an open mind.

Many people do embrace feedback as a gift, while others tend to deflect or shy away from it. Have you ever asked yourself why this happens? Research shows that a lot of this has to do with a person’s mindset and a mindset can be heavily influenced by how feedback is given to the individual. (Person vs Process Praise on Student Motivation).

Fixed vs Growth Mindsets

The way in which we deliver feedback can become the difference between promoting a fixed versus growth mindset for the person receiving the feedback. When a person receives feedback with a fixed mindset, they tend to shut down and are no longer open to exploring ways to grow and develop and they begin to doubt their capabilities. Quite the opposite happens when a person receives feedback with a growth mindset, they see it as a gift.  They embrace the feedback as a way to learn and grow from their successes and failures.

What do we mean when we talk about a person’s mindset? A mindset is a set of beliefs or a way of thinking that determines one’s behavior, outlook and mental attitude. When someone has a fixed mindset, they tend to view the world from the belief that talent is something that you are born with and there isn’t much you can do to change the level of ability. They believe you either have it or you don’t. People who have a growth mindset believe that anything can be learned and that everyone can change and grow.

Carol Dwek, Ph.D introduced this concept that success comes from having the right mindset rather than intelligence, talent or education (Dwek, "The New Psychology of Success") back in 2006. Since that time, research around neuroplasticity and the brain continues to expand and has shown that having the right mindset allows for greater motivation and achievement. (Intelligence is Malleable Study).

The Influence of Feedback On Mindsets

Now that you better understand the difference between a fixed versus growth mindset, you may ask, how does the way that I give feedback impact a person’s mindset? Studies have shown that the type of praise or criticism that a person receives can directly influence a person’s mindset. The way a person chooses to deliver feedback can be a determining factor in whether the person receiving the feedback embraces a fixed or growth mindset.

There are two main methods of feedback:

1)    Person Based- praising or criticizing fixed traits

2)    Process Based- praising or criticizing the process

The Pitfalls of Person-Based Feedback

When we give a person praise by saying things like “ you are so smart, athletic, talented” we are praising or judging traits that are fixed traits. This type of feedback can lead to a person becoming praise obsessed because it fuels their ego. In contrast, it can also cause a person to shy away from taking on future challenges because they fear if they don’t instantly excel at a task, then they have failed.. This type of praise can lead to a fixed mindset. People with a fixed mindset want to make sure they appear smart in front of others, and tend to exhibit the following behaviors:

• Avoids Challenges

• Giving up easily

• Seeing effort as fruitless or worse

• Ignoring useful negative feedback

• Threatened by the success of others

This type of mindset can lead people to plateau early and not achieve their full potential for fear of failure.

Shifting To Process-Based Feedback

As a manager, parent, or friend, we can help move a person’s mindset from fixed to growth by focusing on providing process-based feedback rather than person-based feedback. When we provide process-based praise, we are coming from a place of curiosity rather than judgement. We are asking the person to tell us how they accomplished the task. This approach emphasizes practice, persistence and allows a person to learn to replicate or change their behavior to get to the best outcome. This shifts the conversation from the person to the process which allows a person to feel more comfortable exhibiting the following behaviors that are associated with a growth mindset:

•  Embracing challenges

• Persisting in the face of setbacks

• Seeing effort as the path to mastery

• Learning from criticism

• Finding lessons and inspiration in the success of others

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When a person approaches the world and its challenges with a growth mindset, they can maximize their potential for success and continuous growth.

How To Give Process-Based Feedback

Here are some examples of how to incorporate process-based language into feedback.

• Process Praise- “Great! It seems like you put a lot of effort into these”; “Excellent! You must be using some really effective strategies.”

• Process Praise- “I really liked the example you just shared, tell me how you were able to make that happen.”

• Process Criticism- “Can you think of another way you might be able to approach the problem?”

• Process Criticism- “You didn’t seem to reach your goal, what steps would you have done differently?”

Studies have shown that people who receive process praise/criticism tend to have higher internal motivation and perceived competence than those that received person praise or no praise at all.

Reflection

Think about how you have given and received feedback in the past. How has it impacted your mindset and how you approach challenges and opportunities?  Do you think you have a growth or a fixed mindset when receiving feedback? When you give feedback, are you providing feedback on the person or the process?