“Feedback”…

I recently wrote about the fine line of accountability (https://gpokorn.blogspot.com/2025/11/fine-line.html).  Accountability requires feedback.  Offering feedback is a management skill.  As any skill, it needs to be practiced and applied with care to be effective. 

But do all sales managers provide effective feedback, or any feedback at all for that matter?  According to renowned business executive Larry Bossidy, no:

Managers say they hesitate to give critical feedback because they:

• Are afraid of hurting feelings or demoralizing employees - even prompting them to quit.
• Are concerned about appearing arrogant or abrasive.
• Are uncomfortable giving bad news or find it easier to give only positive news.
• Are not sure they're 100 percent right.
• Worry about a defensive reaction.
• Work in a polite organization where critical feedback isn't given.
• Don't like to judge other people.

When I give feedback, I'm signaling to people that I'm interested in their future. 

                             Larry Bossidy 

I was always interested in my salespeople’s future.  I was taught in my first sales manager role about the skills involved with giving feedback.  The teacher?  Linda Richardson when she was in the early years of leading what became Richardson Sales Performance, a global leader in sales training. 

Remembering and applying my training, I went on to develop a particular style of offering feedback to my salespeople. Permit me to share. 

Feedback starts with observation 

I can’t comment if I wasn’t present.  Focused on observing.  Not “jumping in” to help sell.  Never multi-tasking.  I can’t emphasize the power of observation enough. 

Then self-assessment 

I asked, “If you had to do it over, what if anything would you do different?”  The sales rep knows what they’re trying to do.  When they describe needed improvements they can’t argue with themself.  BTW – it’s OK for them to say they wouldn’t do a thing differently when the sales call went well. 

Then I test with, “How I can help?”  

Asking for permission enables the sales rep to set the blunt-to-gentle-dial of their tolerance.  Sometimes we as individuals are not open to feedback.  If my rep denied permission, I (tried) to move on.  Nothing worse than trying to coach the unwilling.  Easy to blog about; hard to do in the real world, LOL! 

Finally, provide feedback  

Specific; objective; actionable.  Did I say specific? 

Specificity is a killer app. 

As for quantity, I (tried) to identify 3 things.  Positive or negative, 3 things is about the limit of someone openly receiving feedback.  Any more and the experience can move from effective to a waste of effort (or worse).           

Feedback. In sales management, “less is more.” 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.