Richard Branson actively seeks opinions of his performance to help improve his leadership. Frazer Harrison / Getty Images / AFP
Richard Branson actively seeks opinions of his performance to help improve his leadership. Frazer Harrison / Getty Images / AFP

Ahmad Badr: Leaders should not be afraid of feedback



If you are being truly honest with yourself, how ready are you to hear honest feedback from the people you lead? Not platitudes, not half-hearted suggestions for improvements, but real, unmoderated and truthful opinion. Are you confident that they would say complimentary things or quietly terrified of a withering assessment?

The idea of feedback is understandably nerve-racking for many – principally because it can challenge the carefully constructed self-image a person creates for themselves. Feedback, whether it is positive or something less so, can fracture the understanding we have of how others think of us, and can leave a person questioning the approach they have taken and the strategies they are yet to implement.

The fear, I would suggest, is that of being left exposed and vulnerable when you push yourself forward and actually ask for feedback. Even the most go-getting, entrepreneurial and adventurous of leaders might feel a touch nervous in the cold, hard spotlight of other people’s opinions.

There is also a not-uncommon perception from within that leaders seeking feedback are somehow revealing a weakness in the way they operate. An ever-so-slightly needy “am I doing OK?” that suggests a lack of confidence or an unseemly desire for affirmation and praise.

It can alternatively be perceived as primarily motivated by rank overconfidence – perhaps coming from a belief that nobody could possibly find fault in the sterling leadership and direction they are providing.

Neither perception is healthy, nor much based in reality. Both are formed around a fixed idea that a leader must act decisively, with little in the way of self-doubt. This is not wrong, per se – a leader should be confident when making decisions, but it does not need to come complete with a shedding of all measure of self-awareness or a readiness for introspection. In fact, asking for feedback should be thought of as a critical part of a leader’s development.

Logically, you are never going to learn very much if you rely only on your own perception of how you are doing. The vast majority of people are likely to be “soft markers” if left to assess their own capabilities, and even those more critical of their own performance are likely to look to external contributing factors as much as genuinely looking inwards. Getting the feedback of others is really the only way to balance this natural tendency towards self-praise.

This is why many professionals will be familiar with personal development techniques that aim to compile the opinions of the various stakeholders in your professional life – your reports, your managers, your peers – and then present them as tightly-focused and hopefully-helpful feedback.

While these more formal feedback approaches are exceedingly useful, leaders do not necessarily need to wait for them to occur to their organisation’s HR departments and consultants. It is far better to take the initiative and help the conversation along.

For example, Richard Branson, the star of a million LinkedIn shares, has reported actively seeking the opinions of customers and other stakeholders, keeping a notebook of feedback that has a direct bearing on his leadership approach for improving company performance.

Or there’s the example of the legendary GE chief executive Jack Welch, who helped members of his board of directors gather their own “intelligence” on his leadership by encouraging them to meet his executives in less formal visits where he was not present. By inviting them to gain a more unfiltered view of Mr Welch’s leadership, the board was able to provide feedback with real substance.

Obviously, the need to ask for feedback can be easier to say than to do – even where leaders can surmount their trepidation to invite opinion (and, by extension, possible criticism), they must also find an approach that does not alienate or intimidate the people they speak to. Faced with critiquing their boss, many people will be naturally cautious or outright suspicious, and will be reluctant to offer useful feedback.

However, if you recognise that it is only fear – and largely irrational fear at that – that holds back both parties from making the process a success, it is possible to get past this discomfort. If a leader demonstrates genuine openness to the process – helping to convince their report that they are not “out to get” them – and a report returns this show of trust, a leader can benefit from a genuine understanding of how they are truly performing as a leader.

Ahmad Badr is the chief executive of Abu Dhabi University Knowledge Group.

business@thenational.ae

Follow The National's Business section on Twitter

Ireland v Denmark: The last two years

Denmark 1-1 Ireland 

7/06/19, Euro 2020 qualifier 

Denmark 0-0 Ireland

19/11/2018, Nations League

Ireland 0-0 Denmark

13/10/2018, Nations League

Ireland 1 Denmark 5

14/11/2017, World Cup qualifier

Denmark 0-0 Ireland

11/11/2017, World Cup qualifier

 

 

 

THE DETAILS

Kaala

Dir: Pa. Ranjith

Starring: Rajinikanth, Huma Qureshi, Easwari Rao, Nana Patekar  

Rating: 1.5/5 

Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
 
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAlmouneer%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dr%20Noha%20Khater%20and%20Rania%20Kadry%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEgypt%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E120%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBootstrapped%2C%20with%20support%20from%20Insead%20and%20Egyptian%20government%2C%20seed%20round%20of%20%3Cbr%3E%243.6%20million%20led%20by%20Global%20Ventures%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Fixtures

Tuesday - 5.15pm: Team Lebanon v Alger Corsaires; 8.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Pharaohs

Wednesday - 5.15pm: Pharaohs v Carthage Eagles; 8.30pm: Alger Corsaires v Abu Dhabi Storms

Thursday - 4.30pm: Team Lebanon v Pharaohs; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Carthage Eagles

Friday - 4.30pm: Pharaohs v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Team Lebanon

Saturday - 4.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Team Lebanon

Who are the Sacklers?

The Sackler family is a transatlantic dynasty that owns Purdue Pharma, which manufactures and markets OxyContin, one of the drugs at the centre of America's opioids crisis. The family is well known for their generous philanthropy towards the world's top cultural institutions, including Guggenheim Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, Tate in Britain, Yale University and the Serpentine Gallery, to name a few. Two branches of the family control Purdue Pharma.

Isaac Sackler and Sophie Greenberg were Jewish immigrants who arrived in New York before the First World War. They had three sons. The first, Arthur, died before OxyContin was invented. The second, Mortimer, who died aged 93 in 2010, was a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma. The third, Raymond, died aged 97 in 2017 and was also a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma. 

It was Arthur, a psychiatrist and pharmaceutical marketeer, who started the family business dynasty. He and his brothers bought a small company called Purdue Frederick; among their first products were laxatives and prescription earwax remover.

Arthur's branch of the family has not been involved in Purdue for many years and his daughter, Elizabeth, has spoken out against it, saying the company's role in America's drugs crisis is "morally abhorrent".

The lawsuits that were brought by the attorneys general of New York and Massachussetts named eight Sacklers. This includes Kathe, Mortimer, Richard, Jonathan and Ilene Sackler Lefcourt, who are all the children of either Mortimer or Raymond. Then there's Theresa Sackler, who is Mortimer senior's widow; Beverly, Raymond's widow; and David Sackler, Raymond's grandson.

Members of the Sackler family are rarely seen in public.