Replace performance review conversations with feedforward conversations

In coaching conversations, ask "what could you do differently?" instead of "what went wrong?"

Why it works

Post-event performance conversations carry inherent defensiveness risk because the person knows the leader has already formed a judgment. Framing the conversation as feedforward — "I want to think with you about the future, not prosecute the past" — reduces the threat signal and allows the person to engage with the substance. Goldsmith observes that this framing change alone often transforms the quality of coaching conversations.

How to do it

1. Open coaching conversations with: "I’m not here to evaluate what happened — I want to explore what you want to do next."
2. When you feel the pull to correct or critique, convert the thought to a future-facing question: "What would you try if you were doing this again?"
3. Let the person arrive at their own analysis of what didn’t work before offering your view.
4. End with: "What two things will you try differently in the next similar situation?"

Evidence

Coaching research consistently finds that questions focused on future possibility and personal agency produce more behavioral change than questions focused on past performance. This aligns with motivational interviewing research on coaching framing. (clinical)

The specific feedforward coaching framing is Goldsmith’s; supporting evidence comes from broader coaching and MI research rather than feedforward studies specifically.

Common mistake

Beginning the feedforward coaching conversation by providing your own analysis of what went wrong — which resets the conversation to backward-looking evaluation even if you label it as feedforward.