Mentoring Future Leaders

Mentoring Future Leaders
Elements of Feedback
Feedback has the following main elements:
A. Data, which is objective, factual information or observations.
B. Intent, which refers to the reason for giving feedback. In the case of
mentoring the intent is to raise awareness.
C. Emotional charge or the way you feel about the facts, need to be
acknowledged and managed by the mentor.
D. In the case of a non-directive mentoring, the mentor needs to:
1. Connect with the mentee to determine if, when and where he/she
wants the feedback.
2. Suggest actions the mentee might wish or not wish to take as a
result of the feedback.
What is the difference between positive,
constructive and negative feedback?
Max Landsberg explains the difference as follows:
(1996, p 24)
• Positive feedback applies to situations where the
mentee did something particularly well. It can be
simply praise or the mentor can specifically highlight
why or how the mentee did a good job.
• Constructive feedback highlights how the mentee could do better next
time. It needs to be delivered with sensitivity.
• When describing the mentee’s actions, it is important to focus on
specific observable acts (‘In the last presentation you did not fully
address some of the follow-up questions’), not assumed traits (‘You tend
to be evasive’).
• Negative feedback – i.e. merely replaying something that went wrong –
is essentially destructive. It describes a perceived negative behaviour,
without proposing a resolution (‘You’re always complaining’).
The mentor holds up a mirror for the mentee to see what he/she did and
what the impact was. It normally includes a discussion of how similar
situations can be handled in future.
Give examples of each of the three kinds of feedback.
© Learning Link International
April 2005
Module 4 - Mentoring Skills Page ! 1