As a leader, providing feedback to your team is an essential part of your role. However, doing it poorly can backfire. This quick analogy illustrates a different approach to giving feedback—one that exercises the power of asking them to go first. 

Instead of eagerly sharing your insights and feedback, focus on asking thoughtful questions that create space for your employees to identify their own reflections and insights. Chances are their ideas may be very similar to your own. By allowing them to articulate and own the insights themselves, you also increase their ability to absorb and apply any additional feedback you may have to share.

Here are a few sample questions to get you started:

• What went well?

• What did you accomplish?

• What did you learn?

• What didn’t go well?

• What was your biggest challenge?

• What would you change? 

• What is one thing you will do differently next time?