Creating a Feedback Loop in Learning Communities

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 🗣️ Ever feel like your Learning and Development (L&D) programs are missing the mark? You're not alone. One of the biggest pitfalls in L&D is the lack of mechanisms for collecting and acting on employee feedback. Without this crucial component, your initiatives may fail to address the real needs and preferences of your team, leaving them disengaged and underprepared. 📌 And here's the kicker—if you ignore this, your L&D efforts risk becoming irrelevant, wasting valuable resources, and ultimately failing to develop the skills your workforce truly needs. But don't worry—there’s a straightforward fix: integrate feedback loops into your L&D programs. Here’s a clear plan to get started: 📝 Surveys and Questionnaires: Regularly distribute surveys and questionnaires to gather insights on what’s working and what isn’t. Keep them short and focused to maximize response rates and actionable feedback. 📝 Focus Groups: Organize small focus groups to dive deeper into specific issues. This setting allows for more detailed discussions and nuanced understanding of employee needs and preferences. 📝 Real-Time Polling: Use real-time polling tools during training sessions to gauge immediate reactions and make on-the-fly adjustments. This keeps the learning experience dynamic and responsive. 📝 One-on-One Interviews: Conduct one-on-one interviews with a diverse cross-section of employees to get a more personal and detailed perspective. This can uncover insights that broader surveys might miss. 📝 Anonymous Feedback Channels: Ensure there are anonymous ways for employees to provide feedback. This encourages honesty and helps identify issues that employees might be hesitant to discuss openly. 📝 Feedback Integration: Don’t just collect feedback—act on it. Regularly review the feedback and make necessary adjustments to your L&D programs. Communicate these changes to employees to show that their input is valued and acted upon. 📝 Continuous Monitoring: Use analytics tools to continuously monitor engagement and performance metrics. This provides ongoing data to help refine and improve your L&D initiatives. Integrating these feedback mechanisms will not only enhance the effectiveness of your L&D programs but also boost employee engagement and satisfaction. When employees see that their feedback leads to tangible changes, they are more likely to be invested in the learning process. Have any innovative ways to incorporate feedback into L&D? Drop your tips in the comments! ⬇️ #LearningAndDevelopment #EmployeeEngagement #ContinuousImprovement #FeedbackLoop #ProfessionalDevelopment #TrainingInnovation

One of my biggest learnings from leading summer professional development for teachers? If you want a culture of feedback, you have to intentionally do so. The first step is to have short and sweet surveys (daily for summer PD, weekly thereafter). Most leaders do this. But to ensure the survey truly builds a culture of feedback and continuous improvement, I've learned three things: ✅ Ask focused questions. Simply, we get the data that we ask for. Ask both about the content and the general format of PD. For content, a few questions can be: What is one practice you are excited to try?; What is one thing you remain unclear on? What is one thing you know you will need further support on? For format, a simple Keep-Start-Stop can be super helpful. ✅ Review the data with your leadership team- This will allow you to process the feedback, add any additional color based on observations, and design a game plan. This can include differentiating groups, shifting a summer PD schedule or changing up future case studies and role plays to better address where the team is at. During the year, it will help you focus your observations. ✅ Respond to the feedback-It's not enough to make changes to the day based on the feedback. If you are giving people surveys, you must discuss the trends you saw and address these so that folks know they are being heard. Articulate how you are shifting things or if you can't, address where concerns or confusions will be addressed. When folks hear how their feedback is being heard they are more likely to be honest in the future. For concerns or feedback that only 1 or 2 folks have? Follow up individually. The time invested early on will pay dividends later. I know these tips don't only apply to school leaders, though Summer PD is definitely top of my mind. What are your tips and 1% solutions in building a culture of feedback and continuous improvement?

Leadership Crisis: 5 Pitfalls Derailing Your Talent (and How to Fix Them) 🛠️ Are your leadership training programs truly moving the needle? 📊 If you're not rigorously measuring their impact, you might be facing some alarming consequences: ⏺ Only 30% of organizations believe their leadership development has significant business impact (Brandon Hall Group, 2020) ⏺ Less than 60% of organizations think their leaders have the competencies to drive business goals in the next two years ⏺ Inadequate leadership development directly impacts business growth, employee engagement, retention, and competitiveness Why are so many programs failing? 1️⃣ Misalignment with organizational needs 2️⃣ Insufficient practical experience 3️⃣ Unsupportive company culture 4️⃣ Over-reliance on classroom learning 5️⃣ "Sink or swim" strategies for new leaders It's time for a change. Let's create a feedback loop that drives real results: Step 1: Pre-assessment 📝 Establish your baseline with a targeted survey ➡️ Pro tip: Align assessment with specific organizational competencies Step 2: In-the-moment insights 🎯 Use real-time polls during sessions ➡️ Focus: Gauge practical application, not just theoretical understanding Step 3: Immediate post-training feedback 🏁 Capture thoughts while they're fresh ➡️ Key question: "How will you apply this in your role tomorrow?" Step 4: Dig deeper 🕳️ Follow up on specific comments for clarity ➡️ Method: Conduct 360-degree feedback to get a holistic view Step 5: Actionable summary 📊 Distill insights into clear next steps ➡️ Tool: Create a leadership development roadmap for each participant Step 6: Implement and communicate 🔄 Show participants their feedback matters ➡️ Strategy: Involve senior leadership in showcasing program improvements Leadership development is an ongoing journey, not a one-time event. Your feedback process should reflect this continuum. Challenge: Identify one leadership development pitfall in your organization and commit to addressing it using this feedback framework. Comment below with your commitment, and I'll send you a free copy of our Employee Engagement Playbook for CEOs and Senior Executives. Ready to transform your leadership development approach? Message me directly for an in-depth discussion and to receive your complimentary Playbook. #LeadershipEffectiveness #ExecutiveDevelopment #ContinuousLearning #DataDrivenLeadership