Leaders should use feedback loops to get constant, near-real-time insights into how to better solve problems and make better decisions, says Mike Allen. Receiving quality information isn’t a given, and it’s a major leadership mistake to assume so. Allen writes about the importance of constructing feedback loops to receive consistent and quality information.
Feedback loop: A system designed to collect quality information from key stakeholders that helps you solve a specific problem.” – Mike Allen
Source: SmartBrief, March 25, 2022. Link. Allen separates feedback loops into event-triggered and operationally triggered categories. He says any meaningful feedback loop is comprised of the following three components:
- Reason: The problem you’re trying to solve.
- Route: A step-by-step system your team takes to get this information into the hands of the right leader within the right time frame.
- Response: A step-by-step system the leader follows to provide a response to his/her team within the right time frame.
INSIGHTS: Feedback loops need to be relevant, the information captured and useable. Asking if a customer found everything they were looking for in a check-out lane implies help is available. However, seldom will a check out associate or customer leave the lane to find something the customer didn’t find.