Coaching practices for Future Focused Feedback

Describe almost anything you are working through and IX Coach finds the practices whose real-world fit is closest. For Future Focused Feedback, these are the strongest matches in the current practice library.

Does this sound like the set of challenges you might be facing?

  • Whenever I ask how I’m doing, the answer comes back as a verdict on what I already screwed up, and I spend the whole conversation defending myself instead of actually learning anything I could use next time.
  • We’re about to kick off something new and everyone has private hunches about what it’ll take to pull off
  • The second someone suggests something, I’m already arguing back in my head
  • I tell someone what went wrong but never say what I actually want instead, so they walk away knowing they messed up with no idea what "right" looks like
  • I sit down to coach someone through what happened and they’re already braced, because they know I’ve made up my mind about how they did

Practices that may help

  1. Feedforward: Future-Focused Feedback That Actually Changes Behavior
    Feedforward, developed by executive coach Marshall Goldsmith, replaces backward-looking critique with forward-looking suggestions — asking "what ideas do you have for the future?" rather than "what did I do wrong?" The core claim is that people are more receptive to ideas about what they could do than to judgments about what they did. Evidence is primarily clinical and practitioner-based rather than from controlled trials.
  2. Ask for ideas about the future, not assessments of the past
    Replace "how did I do?" with "what ideas do you have for how I could do better?"
    Feedforward: Future-Focused Feedback That Actually Changes Behavior
  3. Use feedforward to align team members on goals before projects begin
    At the start of a project, invite feedforward on how to succeed — before any performance to critique.
    Feedforward: Future-Focused Feedback That Actually Changes Behavior
  4. Receive every suggestion with only "thank you"
    Accept all feedforward without debate, justification, or even agreement — just acknowledge and note.
    Feedforward: Future-Focused Feedback That Actually Changes Behavior
  5. Add a forward-looking request to SBI
    Pair the impact statement with a specific, doable request for next time.
    The SBI Feedback Model, Made Practical
  6. Replace performance review conversations with feedforward conversations
    In coaching conversations, ask "what could you do differently?" instead of "what went wrong?"
    Feedforward: Future-Focused Feedback That Actually Changes Behavior
  7. Ask yourself feedforward questions as a daily reflection practice
    Replace "what did I do wrong today?" with "what will I do differently tomorrow?"
    Feedforward: Future-Focused Feedback That Actually Changes Behavior
  8. Give feedforward as specific, actionable ideas — not generic encouragement
    When giving feedforward, offer two concrete behavioral ideas, not praise or abstract advice.
    Feedforward: Future-Focused Feedback That Actually Changes Behavior
  9. Seek developmental feedback, not just performance feedback
    Ask for feedback that challenges your assumptions about how you see, not just how you perform.
    Kegan’s Subject-Object Theory, Made Practical
  10. Establish a no-argument rule in feedforward exchanges
    In structured feedforward exchanges, neither party evaluates or debates the suggestions — only listens and notes.
    Feedforward: Future-Focused Feedback That Actually Changes Behavior

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