The Feedback Fix for Manager Blind Spots

Most managers get very little feedback on how they manage their teams. Gallup reports that less than half of U.S. employees say they’ve had a chance to formally provide feedback to their managers. Supervisors aren’t getting a lot of help either, with only about one in three saying they’ve received feedback from their peers.

Smith Management and Organization lecturer Roy Thomason says managers should have one-on-ones with their supervisors, but 360-degree evaluations are badly needed. They allow leaders to better understand how others perceive their strengths and weaknesses.

“They’re anonymous,” Thomason says. “Initially, the manager does a self-evaluation, then the people that report to the manager evaluate them, the manager’s peers assess him or her, and lastly the manager’s supervisor weighs in.”

This kind of analysis helps to uncover a leader’s blind spots. “The manager gets this holistic perspective that can be used to determine what they need to work on and what they do well,” says Thomason.

Forbes says every leader has a blind spot, but the solution isn’t always self-improvement. The solution could be the role you’re missing on your team. Thomason says this mindset began in the ’90s.

“This concept for leadership development said, don’t worry about fixing the things that you’re not very good at. Capitalize on what you do very well and bring other people onto your team that shore up your weaknesses.”

Feedback and recognition are areas where managers often need improvement. When they don’t provide good feedback and motivation, remove barriers to performance, or discuss strengths, that can keep a team from getting better and lower morale. But Thomason says asking for feedback and failing to act on it creates resentment that leads to poor employee performance. It’s worse than not seeking feedback at all.

He teaches leadership development, consulting and strategy, and has years of experience managing hundreds of people in the hospitality industry. He says lack of communication and miscommunication are common blind spots that hinder team success.

“Clear communication doesn’t mean blasting out an email. It means stopping and listening, and it should be two-way. We’ve got two ears and one mouth, so we should be listening twice as much.”

That two-way communication could look like this: the manager gives a directive to a subordinate, the subordinate feeds it back for clarification, and the manager confirms that the employee understands correctly, but if they don’t, the task is re-explained.

“If we don’t have that two-way communication, the manager is just barking out orders,” Thomason says. “And the employee feels made to do something, while not being comfortable enough to ask for clarity or the resources they may need to perform the task.” This can negatively impact the individual, the team and the organization's overall effectiveness.

Managers can achieve that comfort level with their teams by providing psychological safety. A team member who feels comfortable speaking up can not only better complete tasks, but also stimulate innovation. If they have that psychological safety, they may reveal new ideas that change how the team operates for the better.