FEEDBACK

Leadership means communicating with others in such a way that they are influenced and motivated to perform actions that further common goals and lead toward desired outcomes.  Communication is a process by which information and understanding are transferred between a sender and receiver, such as between a leader and an employee, an instructor and a student, or a coach and a football player.


Feedback is the element of the communication process that enables someone to determine whether the receiver correctly interpreted the message.  Feedback occurs when a receiver responds to a leader's communication with a return message.  Without feedback, the communication cycle is incomplete.  Effective communication involves both the transference and mutual understanding of information.  The nature of effective communication is cyclical, in that a sender and receiver may exchange messages several times to achieve a mutual understanding.  The ongoing process of sending, receiving and feedback to test understanding underlies both management and leadership communication.