3 Surefire Ways to Focus on the Positive and Advance

You know what feedback is, but “feedforward” might be a new term. It comes from the renowned executive coach Marshall Goldsmith, who tells us to focus on the future more than we do the past when helping someone else change and improve. In the feedforward model, the question, “What can you do next time that might be more effective?” is just as important (if not more important) than the question, “What went wrong here?”

I’m not going to suggest we stop giving feedback altogether, and neither does Dr. Goldsmith. The fact is, we need it to see our blind-spots and pay attention to mistakes or shortcomings. However, when it comes to feedback versus feedforward, we tend to do too much of the former and too little of the latter. 

Focus on the positive 
Here’s my suggestion for finishing up this year and for starting 2016 strong: Whether you’re communicating with others or yourself, when you feel the need to give feedback, don’t stop there. Make sure you give “feedforward” and end the discussion on a positive and empowering note. 

What’s useful?
With this year almost over and the New Year a few weeks away, it’s good to review our successes, progress, and our mistakes and areas for improvement. However, since we can’t change the past, don’t stay in the past. Move into the future by asking the other person (or yourself) “How will you move forward now that you know what you know?” “What would be useful next time?” “How can you think or act differently that will give you the results you want?”

Look toward the future 
Feedback is important but without feedforward it can be discouraging or even demoralizing. Feedforward is about solutions, improvements, and success. So when you blow it or come up short, by all means, do a review of the past. Then look confidently into the future you can shape and create from the power of feedforward.

- Alan Allard, Executive Coach