Providing and receiving effective feedback are essential elements of leadership. On the receiving end, feedback helps a leader to learn about strengths and weaknesses or what they are doing well and where they can improve. Among the traits of effective leaders are that they are lifelong learners, they are self-aware, and they have a strong desire to grow and develop. Receiving feedback feeds all of these traits.

By providing feedback well, a leader accomplishes much in terms of both building a leader/follower relationship and guiding actions and behaviors to align with long-term vision and goals. We know that feedback can accomplish much when done well but what should motivate the practice of providing frequent feedback? Here are our top five reasons or motivations for providing frequent and effective feedback to those around you in every part of your life:

#5 – Establish and reinforce a practice of communication. Certainly, communicating freely, openly, and frequently with each of your team members and with many others is important. It is impossible to have any sort of relationship without communication. The quality of our communications is a major definer of the quality of our relationships. And feedback, when done well, is one of the best and most important means of communicating. Positive communication, of course, affirms the recipient. But corrective feedback can demonstrate the value that we place in the other person. And so, communication should be part of the motivation for providing feedback.

#4 – Build a relationship of mutual trust and respect. The leader/follower relationship is built upon a relationship of trust and respect. A person might take direction or commands from a superior, but they only willingly and wholeheartedly follow a leader when that leader has demonstrated his/her worthiness or trust and respect. Providing feedback well goes a long way in demonstrating this worthiness, so this should be a part of the motivation for providing feedback.

#3 – Encourage positive actions and behaviors. Of course, one of the primary purposes of feedback is to mold actions and behaviors to fit with or achieve a longer-term vision or goal. It is easy to spot negative actions or behaviors and provide feedback. In the hectic activity of a day it is easy to overlook the positive actions or behaviors. Leaders need to develop the habit of noticing both the negative and the positive and then provide feedback. Offering positive feedback is an expression of affirmation or appreciation, and that positive feeling encourages repetition of the positive action or behavior. Naturally we want to encourage the positives, so this is part of the motivation for feedback.

#2 – Discourage or eliminate negative actions or behaviors. This is often some people’s strongest motivation for feedback. They want to stop negative actions or behaviors that lead to wasted time or money, lead to discord in the workplace, or generally detract from the mission. And, of course, we want to get people off the wrong track and on to the right track.

#1 – Help the people around you to grow and develop. By far the best, we might even say the only proper, motivation for feedback is to offer it in the hope of helping people develop. The best leaders are altruistic; their desire above all is to help those with whom they come in contact to become better versions of themselves, to grow and succeed in life. Yes, the best leaders know that focusing on the development of others has side benefits such as drawing people into the leader/follower relationship, helping them understand and pursue the longer-term vision, and so forth. But the focus and the motivation of the best leaders, first and foremost, is to help others grow and succeed. When this is the motivation, it is generally perceived by the recipient of feedback. This motivation makes it easy for the recipient to accept and take to heart our feedback, and not just the positive. When this is our motivation, to help the recipient grow and succeed, even corrective feedback, of course offered graciously, is valued by the recipient.

What is your motivation for offering feedback? How well is it delivered and how well is it received?