You're faced with feedback challenging your leadership style. How can you adapt and grow as a leader?

Someone once said, ‘feedback is a gift,’ and I couldn’t agree more. However, let’s be honest, most gifts we receive, like those ugly sweaters from aunts/uncles, are generic or ill-timed. Some are even expensive yet end up as dust collectors. Most gifts are a reflection of the giver than the receiver. On the flip side, there are gifts that bring genuine joy—useful, timely, and contextually appropriate. These are the ones I cherish and use regularly. So, leader or not, feedback is easier to embrace when it’s thoughtful, caring, and contextual. Maybe the question isn’t JUST why leaders get defensive, but rather, how can feedback givers take more responsibility. 🤗

Welcome it and seek more. 360 feedback is an under-leveraged tool in the corporate world which is surprising how important it is. Openly seek feedback directly and via anonymous channels if needed to understand and address your blind spots (yes, you have some). When you do get feedback that is not positive or comes as a surprise, find trusted colleagues to discuss and understand more.

Leadership isn't about having all the answers; it's about having the courage to question ourselves. When faced with challenging feedback, resist the urge to defend. Instead, listen with an open heart and mind. Our teams see aspects of our leadership we might miss, offering invaluable insights for growth. Embracing this feedback requires humility and vulnerability—qualities that paradoxically strengthen our leadership. It's okay to admit we don't have it all figured out.

Being open to feedback shows our team that we are approachable and willing to listen, which can build trust and respect. It helps us gain a better understanding of how our actions and decisions are perceived by others, leading to greater self-awareness. By accepting feedback gracefully, we foster an environment where open communication is encouraged, which can lead to better team collaboration and problem-solving. Feedback can highlight the need for change and adaptation in our leadership approach, ensuring we stay effective in a dynamic environment. Overall, Embracing feedback demonstrates our commitment to personal and professional development and sets a positive example for our team.

First and foremost, be willing to accept someone else's feedback. Listen with intent. Receive the feedback from the perspective that they may have either been hurt by you or are trying to help you grow. Apologize if necessary and thank them for their willingness to share the feedback with you. Then, ask clarifying questions so you understand what they are fully saying. Ask if they have any suggestions on how you can show up differently. Mindset is everything. You cannot grow alone on an island!

Leadership style should always be in evolution and the best leaders consistently adapt and enhance their styles to best serve their teams and changing work environments Making adjustments is progressive and crucial and should always be the mindset of people leaders.

The most important skills to learn as a leader are self-awareness and reflection. Nerd out with me for a moment—that's something called metacognition—the skill of thinking about your thinking. It's not something we give ourselves time to do often, but it's valuable. Take time to: -think about the outcomes you've wanted and whether or not you've reached them -replay interactions with others and evaluate their reactions -pay attention to your emotions and try to figure out what's causing them

Don't just react to leadership feedback. Use it as a springboard for deep reflection. Ask yourself: What's the core message about my style? How might it be impacting my team? This introspection goes beyond the surface criticism. Analyze your communication patterns, decision-making, and team engagement. Unearthing the root causes of the feedback can reveal hidden areas for improvement.

I find documenting reflections regularly and ongoing helps context feedback. As a CEO feedback can be overwhelming so it is important to be able to hear and implement the right things. Filtering opinion from fact can be hard but critical to be an agile leader.

Cuando estas críticas revelan una brecha importante respecto de la percepción real de tu equipo sobre tu estilo de liderazgo y tus expectativas respecto de cómo quieres que tu equipo te vea. Es importante reflexionar sobre las causas raíces de esas diferencias, es posible que existan que no hayan sido bien abordadas al ejercer el rol de líder, tales como la cultura de la organización, el contexto o la coyuntura en que se ejerce ese rol, la situación particular de la empresa en ese momento, problemas adicionales específicos que estén afectando el rendimiento o el compromiso de equipo en ese momento. etc.

Don't be defensive. Ask clarifying questions to fully understand the feedback. What specific behaviors are seen as problematic? How does this impact the team? Seek clarity before making changes. Ask for specific examples of behaviors causing concern - situations and impacts. This pinpoints areas for improvement and ensures your response is targeted and impactful.

Better to consider regular feedback meeting and sessions with the team to proactively address potential issues and refine the leadership approach. By creating a structured environment for ongoing dialogue, you can better understand team dynamics and receive actionable insights that foster continuous improvement and build trust.

Sometimes it has helped to simply hear the feedback and then to circle back after reflection to ask some good questions to help clarify things.

Leading with curiosity when seeking clarity is imperative to what you retain from the feedback given. It’s the difference between being grateful for the feedback given, and allowing the feedback to cause change in the way you lead. Questions to ask: - Could you give me an example of that? - How did that impact the team? - How did that make you feel?

Las críticas bien intencionadas que un líder recibe de miembros de su equipo, para que constituyan una retroalimentación importante deben ser muy claras y objetivas cumpliendo los requisitos de una "Evaluación de Desempeño a la Inversa" es decir de colaborador a líder, presentando evidencias sobre aquellos momentos o situaciones en que se reflejó el comportamiento o la actitud que detonaron esas críticas, lo que facilitaría el autoanálisis crítico del líder sobre su propio desempeño.

Once you've processed the feedback, create a plan for improvement. This might involve seeking formal coaching or practicing specific communication techniques. Identify specific behaviors or skills to address concerns. A clear action plan is your roadmap to becoming the best leader you can be.

In the hopes of becoming this better leader in the near future, ask yourself, “What could I change today?”. This enables you to have things you’ll work to improve on in the near future, but also something you could change today that will instantly impact the team.

Efectivamente, después de un análisis objetivo y claro sobre tu rol de líder en base a las críticas recibidas, es importante definir un Plan de acción para poder acercar la percepción real de tu equipo respecto de tu rol de líder a la percepción que tú esperas de tu equipo en relación a tu liderazgo. Probablemente sea necesario cambiar comportamientos, actitudes o habilidades y es posible que para algunos cambios sea necesario precisar ayuda de algún coach, de alguna capacitación o participando en algún taller. Esta planificación debe tener plazos y objetivos claros, además de la posibilidad de que uno mismo pueda monitorear su avance.

Communicate your plan to the person who provided the feedback and potentially the team. This shows transparency and your commitment to growth. Start small, tweak one or two behaviors, and observe the impact. Be transparent - communicate changes to your team, building trust and support. Growth takes time. Be patient as you refine your leadership style.

Los cambios que tengas que implementar en base a tu plan de acción no siempre son fáciles o rápidos y generalmente es necesario ir de manera paulatina. El efecto de estos cambios tampoco es instantáneo y por tanto es importante transparentar tu plan con los integrantes de tu equipo, esto genera un mejor nivel de confianza porque implica que sus opiniones fueron tomadas en cuenta de buena manera y que existe de tu parte la genuina intención de construir una relación armónica, leal y transparente con tu equipo

Gathering feedback should not just be implemented after the bad has been done. You want to ensure you are fostering a culture that allows your team to give you feedback in the moment so that you have time to rectify potential bad habits and patterns.

Continuous feedback allows you to fine-tune your approach and ensures that your leadership style remains dynamic and responsive to the needs of those you lead. However, this process should not be merely a tickbox exercise. It should reflect a sincere commitment to improvement, both for yourself and for your team. Embrace the necessity of ongoing adjustments as a means to foster a better and thriving work culture. Actively welcome feedback, not just when things go wrong, but as a regular practice to enhance team engagement and performance.

Respect is never earned on easy ground. It is only earned on how we handle conflict and relationships. It is always on uneven ground and seeing different perspectives that earns the respect of your team. Reach out to your inner circle, make sure they are comfortable to be honest. They can assist you to see things from a different angle and even help you to come up with strategies to improve.

When feedback challenges your leadership style and you have done the work to assess that the intent and feedback is positive and true, it's time to act. Acting on such feedback can be difficult so here's a little tip I've used. Ask a few colleagues or team members to help. Tell them the feedback you have received and that you want to work on it. Ask them to assist by letting you know when they see some positive change both overall or in a moment and also if they see a moment where you are responding in your "old" ways and not as you are trying to do. Ask them to point this out to you sensitively, privately and as close to in the momnent as practical. Asking for this help works and is a great way to show leadership.

Sometimes, feedback might challenge your leadership style itself, not necessarily a specific behavior. If that's the case, consider if a different leadership approach might be more effective for your current team or situation. The best leaders are constantly learning and adapting. By embracing feedback as an opportunity for growth, you can become a more effective leader and inspire your team to achieve greater things.

Facing feedback that challenges your leadership style requires a clear and decisive approach. First, determine if the feedback is honest and true. Understand the intent behind it. Is it meant to help you grow or merely criticize? Once you've assessed the feedback's validity, decide on your response and urgency. Address genuine concerns promptly. Communicate your course of action clearly. Show your team that you value their input and are committed to improving. Use feedback as a growth opportunity. Reflect on your leadership style and make necessary adjustments. By being open to change, you demonstrate resilience and a willingness to evolve, strengthening your leadership and building trust with your team.

Even when the delivery of feedback on our leadership style is constructive, it can still be difficult to hear. Take the time to reflect and share it with someone you trust. The saying "feedback is a gift" is true. The reality is, how we intend to come across to people is not how we are perceived. We now have information and "data" to make better choices and decisions. Finding a coach or mentor that can help translate that "data" into actionable steps is very effective in growing as a leader.

Your team is challenging your leadership style with some brutal feedback? It's time to face the realities and hear the tough stuff that's necessary to make real change. - Look at feedback as a gift and come from a thankful position - Self-reflection, consider what the commonalities from feedback are telling you, helping bring focus to one change at a time - Seek clarity, full understand the feedback - Implement change, showing real meaningful action - Proactively seek 365 feedback Taking down your guard, showing vulnerability and a willingness to hear people out, improve, and grow, changes the narrative. Intentionality with your improvement changes the game over time, as you show proof in your willingness to make positive changes.