In Defense of the Feedback Sandwich
I am a huge fan of Wharton professor Adam Grant. I always love his work and greatly enjoyed (and try to live by the philosophy of generosity espoused in) his book Give and Take. However, I have to say that I must respectfully disagree 1,000 percent with the position he takes in his blog post and video entitled “Stop Serving the Feedback Sandwich,” wherein he rails against what I consider to be a highly effective feedback technique.
I happen to be a huge proponent of the Feedback Sandwich. Why? Consider this example: Say I wrote a blog post explaining why I advocate for this feedback method and I received the following two feedback comments from people:
The first one says: “The Feedback Sandwich sucks!”
While the other says: “Regarding the Feedback Sandwich approach, I can see your point regarding its merits. It’s important to note, however, that this method is not appropriate for all situations and, when misused, can often be ineffective and counterproductive, and may actually undermine your intentions. You are correct, though, that in many cases, when used appropriately and skillfully, there’s tremendous value in pointing out what someone’s done right and done well, before pointing out what they’ve done wrong (or could have done better)—and then ending on a positive note.”
If you were me, which of these two comments would you prefer to receive? Which do you think would be more powerful, impactful, and effective? And if you’re the deliverer of the feedback, which approach would give you more credibility?
While both critics express a counter-position, the first example (basically, “You and your opinion suck”) is what many people, including a lot of bosses (and, of course, online commenters!) do: They just slam you or flame you with their opinion of why you’re wrong.
The second is an example of the Feedback Sandwich.
The Secret Recipe: How to Use the Feedback Sandwich
In brief, this technique is referred to, metaphorically, as a “sandwich” because the feedback (the “meat” of the message) is delivered to the recipient in between the use of cushioning (the “buns”) to lead in and soften the blow on one end…and to provide positive reinforcement on the other. This model is composed of four parts:
1. The top bun represents starting on a positive note, for example: “Nice job on your presentation. I really thought your content and delivery were great.”
2. The lettuce represents your transition, for example, a pause, or a phrase like: “One area of improvement might be…”
3. The meat represents the main substance of your feedback message: “While I really liked your content and your delivery, I thought that your PowerPoint slides could use some improvement—and here’s how…”
4. And the bottom bun represents your close, which might be something like: “Again, overall, I thought you did a really great job…and if you can improve your slides, I think your next presentation is going to be even better!”
The above feedback message can be delivered in a brief 30-second comment, or over the course of a 30-minute conversation. In fact, it is often preferable—and most productive—to ask the person how they thought they did, prior to offering them your opinion. But, again, if you were on the receiving end, wouldn’t you rather hear what you did well…prior to hearing what you could have done better? Or would you be happy to just receive the blunt-and-to-the-point criticism that the Feedback Sandwich-bashers seem to be advocating: “Here’s what you did wrong…now go fix it.”
Why I Think the Critics Are Wrong
Like any tool, technique, or methodology, the Feedback Sandwich is not intended for all occasions. That’s obvious. But when used by a skilled person, with the right recipient, at the right time and place, in the right situation, and in the right way, I strongly believe, from firsthand experience—on both the giving and receiving ends—that it is a tremendously productive and effective way to deliver feedback.
While the most common examples of giving feedback often tend to concern a manager providing feedback to a direct report, we all are continuously giving feedback to other people all the time. Even something as simple as responding to a waiter who asks how everything was is providing feedback. For example, “The food was delicious, as always. We did want to mention, though, that we thought the music was a little too loud—which made it hard to talk. But, overall, we enjoyed our dinner and we thank you for your wonderful service this evening.” Right there is an example of using the Feedback Sandwich approach to deliver your message in a polite, productive, and most likely, receptive way.
That’s why it’s so mind-boggling to me to hear experts in the field bash this entire model outright. I’ve heard the model referred to as a “Compliment Sandwich,” a “B.S. Sandwich,” and a “Crap Sandwich.” And, yes, when used improperly, it is indeed! But, in short, the people who denigrate, discount, and disregard this model in its entirety might want to take a fresh look at it from another perspective. The Feedback Sandwich is simply a tool—like a hammer or a screwdriver; and, like any tool, is not meant for all purposes and all occasions.
And when it is misused, as in this example, of course it is not going to be effective, or appropriate: “Hey I really like your new haircut! By the way, you’re the worst employee I’ve ever had. And you’re fired. But, again, you look really nice today. Give me a call when you find a new job and we’ll grab some lunch!”
The “buns” need to be genuine, sincere, productive, and directly relevant to the issue you are providing feedback on! It’s not supposed to be a “compliment” (hence, not a “Compliment Sandwich”), and it’s not about flattery or sugarcoating—or making it easier on yourself as the deliverer of the message. It’s about conveying your feedback in a way that is most productive, most effective, and—to continue the metaphor—most “digestible” for the recipient.
That’s a key point to keep in mind: as the feedback-giver, your feedback is about the other person; it’s not about you. Therefore, ask yourself before delivering your feedback: is the purpose, delivery style, and wording of your message intended to beat the person over the head, or to help them to improve their performance? And is the manner in which you are delivering the feedback—to this person and in this situation—going to achieve that objective?
Leadership guru Marshall Goldsmith suggests that maybe we need to shift our emphasis from “feed-back” to “feed-forward.” In other words, we can’t undo the past; so why dwell on it? Or beat the other person up over it? All we can do is learn from it and move on, by focusing on what we can do differently and better next time.
Additionally, regarding the “fluffiness” criticism (that is, that using cushioning detracts from your main message), the “thickness” of the “buns” needs to be proportionate to the person and the situation…while taking into consideration your relationship with this person. Some people need and prefer a lot of cushioning, while others just want you to “give it to me straight” (that is, a more “Radical Candor”-type approach, to reference the book of that same name by Kim Scott).
Sometimes saying “Great job!” is all that is needed to start and finish with. But in most cases, more specific and detailed feedback comments (including evidence and examples) are essential if you truly want to make the feedback meaningful and productive.
When the Sandwich Approach Doesn’t Work
and When You Shouldn’t Use It
So when is the Feedback Sandwich not recommended? In many situations! For example, if someone really screwed up, of course you are not going to use the Feedback Sandwich: “Billy, you’re a good boy and we love you very much. But we’ve asked you numerous times not to play with matches, and now you’ve burnt down our entire house and destroyed everything we own. So again, we love you, but you need to be more careful from now on so you don’t burn our house down again in the future.” Or, “Peter, you’re a good guy and one of my favorite employees. But I’ve noticed that lately you’ve been falsifying all the data in your TPS reports. So I’m gonna need you to stop doing that, OK?”
When it comes to integrity or policy violations, safety issues, and/or serious or recurring performance problems, of course you are not going to “sandwich” your feedback; you are going to be blunt, serious and direct: “Peter, we have a serious problem here”; or, “Billy, sit down…we need to talk.” In those situations, you would omit both buns and get right to the meat. Cushioning your message here would be completely unnecessary, inappropriate, and entirely ineffective.
Similarly, there are situations where it might make more sense to start with the top bun and deliver the meat but leave off the bottom bun altogether. For example, “I appreciate your effort and thank you for your hard work; however…this is the third time this mistake has happened and now we have a serious problem that needs to be addressed….”
As you can see, there are a variety of ways to make use of the various elements of the Feedback Sandwich. Though seemingly simple to understand, there’s an art and science to mastering its usage. And just because it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution (what is?), in my opinion, critics of the Feedback Sandwich are wrong to suggest that we should do away with this incredibly powerful and effective management/leadership/coaching tool altogether. I’ve been on both ends of it, and I’ve received feedback with and without it; and all I can say is that despite any research or opinions to the contrary, in real life, when done right, it simply works.
Do’s and Don’ts
Here’s a simple and common work situation in which it’s clear that the Feedback Sandwich would be a proper and effective approach for a manager to take:
Let’s say you asked one of your people—a relatively new employee—to write a proposal and then show it to you before sending it out to a client. Upon reading it, you find that the person worked hard on it, did their research, and got all the facts right. The problem is that in their haste to get it to you, they didn’t take the time to proofread it, and so it contains a number of small grammatical errors and minor typos. So how do you deliver this feedback message? You could just bluntly say (as the critics suggest), “I read your proposal and it’s filled with errors. You need to fix it.” Or you can be sarcastic and obnoxious (as many bosses are) and say something like, “Have you ever heard of spellcheck?”
Alternatively, you could use the Feedback Sandwich: “Thanks for getting this to me so fast—I really appreciate it. Good job on the research and the writing. However, I spotted a few typos and grammatical errors, so I need you to proofread it, correct the mistakes, and get it back to me within the hour so we get it out before the end of the day. When we’re sending something out to a client, speed counts—but it’s equally important to make sure that it’s perfect and presentable before it goes out the door. But as this was your first time, overall, you did a really nice job.”
Simple and straightforward, it gets your point across regarding the necessary corrective actions, powerfully delivers your message, keeps the relatively minor mistakes in perspective, and—often overlooked, but equally important—restores the employee’s confidence and morale in spite of the (again, minor and easily-fixable) errors. As the manager, it’s important to ask yourself: is the purpose of the feedback to slam the person for what they got wrong, or to acknowledge what was done well, fix the problem, and help them to improve going forward? The Feedback Sandwich does all that and does it well.
“It Sucked”: A Real-life Case Study
Earlier in my career, when I worked for one of the major TV networks, my boss’s boss asked me on a Friday to write up “coverage” (a review and recommendation report) on a new pilot script and get it back to him on Monday. (He was asking me because my boss was out on vacation.)
Excited to be given this first-time opportunity and wanting to make a good impression, I spent all weekend on it and had it on his desk by first thing Monday morning. When Tuesday afternoon rolled around and I still hadn’t heard anything back yet (as we know, silence is often the worst kind of feedback), I knocked on his door and said: “Hi Jack, I was just wondering if you had a chance to read my coverage.” Rummaging through a pile of papers, he finally found it, glanced at it, and then frisbeed it across his desk at me, hitting me in the shins. “Yeah,” he said. “It sucked.”
As he went back to doing what he was doing before I interrupted him, and with the report I was previously so proud of now resting on my shoe tops, I meekly bent down, picked it up, and limped back to my desk with my tail between my legs, crushed and demoralized. I thought I had done such a good job, but I left work that day wondering if I should start exploring new career possibilities.
The next day, though, I still felt like I needed to get some feedback on what I had done so wrong. And I figured I had nothing to lose. So when 6 p.m. rolled around, after most others had left for the day, I somehow got up the courage to go to his office and knock on his open door again:
“Hey, Jack, do you have a minute? I was just wondering what was wrong with the coverage I wrote—I thought I had done a pretty good job.” His response: “You did a great job! Your writing is terrific—it’s always terrific—and you had some really great insights. I just really hated the script. But, your report itself was fine.”
Um…maybe he could have said that initially…before I almost packed up my bags and quit? In retrospect, what he gave me the first time was the meat. The second time, he provided the same exact meat…but he presented it in the form of a sandwich: a Feedback Sandwich. So, although the outcome was the same (he rejected the script I was recommending), the validation of my work made me feel a million times better, and left me eager for the next opportunity to show what I could do.
That’s the power of the Feedback Sandwich in action.
So while there are many different feedback techniques out there, all with their respective pros and cons, the Feedback Sandwich is just one way—a powerful and effective way—to get your message across when appropriate—which is much of the time. Think about it. If you are on the receiving end, would you rather someone take a hot, sizzling, greasy burger off the grill and place it in your bare hands…or would you rather they neatly and gently present it to you between two nice, fluffy buns?
In Review
The Big Lesson: Consider using the Feedback Sandwich method, when appropriate, to deliver your feedback in the most effective way.
The Big Question: Think about various times that you’ve either received feedback or given feedback to someone else, how effective it was, and whether the Feedback Sandwich method was used. When might you use this approach in the future…and when would it not be the most effective way?
Your Big Insight:
Your Big Action: