Feedback Is the Breakfast of Champions – Understanding the McKinsey Feedback Model

Featured Best Practice on Feedback

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According to Ken Blanchard, the co-founder of Situational Leadership,

“Feedback is the breakfast of champions.”

McKinsey is a feedback-driven culture. Their culture has developed better consultants and made sure that there is greater client impact. Even less tenured consultants are expected to provide frequent, upward feedback to their leadership.

Providing feedback is critical to helping our team and our company thrive. With feedback, team members can better understand which behaviors are best continued and which behaviors need to be changed. When this occurs, this allows every consultant and member of the team to be effective in their specific roles and functions.

However, arriving at this point requires a special approach and skill of giving and receiving feedback. Giving feedback can be difficult when not done the right way. It can destroy but it can also build. It is those who have mastered the McKinsey Feedback approach who can bring out the Champion in ourselves and our company.

The McKinsey Feedback Model

“I think it’s very important to have a feedback loop, where you’re constantly thinking about what you’ve done and how you could be doing it better.” – Elon Musk

Elon Musk was able to nail it when it comes to the McKinsey Feedback Model.

The McKinsey Feedback Model follows a structured format that allows the feedback to be specific, fact-based, less personal, irrefutable, and actionable.

The Action and The Feeling set the stage for giving the recommendations without getting derailed by debating the context. The Feedback will solve the problem and prevent The Action and The Feeling from occurring again.

When this happens, the expected change in behavior can be realized and successive spurs of improvements can be seen. The McKinsey Feedback Model is the approach the Firm highly recommends for delivering feedback. It is an approach that can make a person do things differently next time.

Interested in gaining more understanding of the McKinsey Feedback Model? You can learn more and download an editable PowerPoint about McKinsey Feedback Model here on the Flevy documents marketplace.

Further, are you interested in other McKinsey communication frameworks and practices?  Take a look at the best practice Corporate Communication materials from Team Neosi (found here).  This firm has a combined 40+ years of experience at McKinsey as communication specialists.

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