Feedback is a gift tied up with a shiny red bow.  Whether positive or negative, formal or informal, it has enabled me to perform my job better each time I learn from -- and act upon -- the information I've received. 

Most recently feedback played an integral role in launching a manager communications training program at ITT Exelis. To start, my team and I used external studies and internal engagement surveys to develop the case for training managers. This data demonstrated the importance of the manager/employee relationship within an organization. For many forms of information, such as vision and goals, managers provide the context for business messages to be relevant to their teams. In addition, when effective communication is a priority, it improves the organization's bottom line (see TowersWatson study). This data was essential for capturing the attention of the division's senior leaders when we pitched the training. 

Once we had leadership buy-in, we began the program with a pilot class developed with Tracy Benson of On the Same Page. We thanked the participants for being our "guinea pigs" and implored them to provide us with feedback to make the course more relevant. We followed up the training with an anonymous, formal survey and leveraged that feedback into our course curriculum. We learned which portions of the training were most salient and where we could improve. In addition, a change in behavior was most essential to improved communication; therefore, we asked the participants what they planned to do differently. Here's what we heard:

• "I learned that communication is a process, and I'm going to start planning for it like I do any other activity I perform on the job."
• "I now understand how much recognition can motivate my team and establish the standard for what I'm expecting. I'm going to highlight accomplishments each week -- maybe every day!" 
• "I plan to set an agenda each time I'm meeting with my team. I am going anticipate what my employees want to hear, not just what I want to say." 

A brilliant thing happened following the pilot: Our participants continued providing anecdotal feedback about what was working when they returned to their teams. One participant wrote to the division president saying, "I don't understand why this training is NOT mandatory for all employees!  It [the training program] isn't any less important to our future than other mandatory training. They took an important topic and made it relative to our day-to-day jobs, as well as presented it at a level that all of our employees could both understand and benefit from it." 

Our business president did, in fact, mandate the training for the entire division. Ultimately, this groundswell of feedback resulted in our presenting the training to the CEO and other division presidents. This year the program is being launched company-wide in association with our ongoing change management initiatives. From this experience, I've confirmed the value of using metrics to sell an idea, developing a pilot to ensure the idea is working and, in the process, galvanizing an army of goodwill ambassadors that landed us before C-suite leaders. That's how feedback becomes the gift that keeps on giving!