Some Thoughts about Feedback and Evaluation

In their book, Thanks for the Feedback, Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen identify three different types of feedback: appreciation, coaching, and evaluation. All three are essential—for individuals and for organizations. They say: “We need evaluation to know where we stand, to set expectations, to feel reassured or secure. We need coaching to accelerate learning, to focus our time and energy where it really matters, and to keep our relationships healthy and functioning. And we need appreciation if all the sweat and tears we put into our jobs and our relationships are going to feel worthwhile.”
Evaluation tells us about how we are doing and where we stand. It has consequences for our future, and therefore anxiety is a natural part of evaluation. Often this anxiety causes us to resist an evaluative process or to enter it unconsciously—and this can lead to tension, hurt feelings, polarization…. In other words, the evaluative process backfires, producing the opposite of what it is intended for; it decreases the organization’s capacity to cultivate a feedback-rich environment, keeps individuals and the collective stuck in ineffective patterns, and impedes the organization’s ability to improve, grow, and fulfill its mission.
Evaluation can be particularly difficult in ministry due to lack of clarity regarding roles, responsibilities, and boundaries. Interestingly, our spiritual principles can also interfere with our ability to embrace an evaluative process. Love is a deeply held spiritual value, something we seek to embody as members of a spiritual community. When our desire to be loving is diluted or distorted by our fears about hurting someone, no one is served, and the organization suffers.
Success or lack of success in ministry is a team event—with members, lay leaders, board members, staff, and ministers all contributing to what is created. Consequently, evaluation should be a team event. The evaluation that follows is designed as a team process in which the minister and board review the work they have been doing, consider how it is serving the ministry, and envision what they can do better. It is also an opportunity for giving one another feedback to support ongoing growth. This can be unsettling because it requires honesty and vulnerability. This very vulnerability also supports team coherence and effectiveness. 
This collaborative, team-based approach to evaluation may be unfamiliar to you. You may be uncertain about how to proceed. The Engaged Feedback Checklist, from Brene Brown’s book Daring Greatly, provides a wonderful set of guidelines to prepare for this conversation. These guidelines are provided below.
If you would like assistance in preparing for your team evaluation, or would like someone to facilitate this process for you, please reach out to Member Services. 

The Engaged Feedback Checklist
(from Daring Greatly by Brené Brown)

I know I am ready to give feedback when:
_____	I’m ready sit next to you rather than across from you.
_____	I’m willing to put the problem in front of us rather between us (or sliding it towards you).
_____	I’m ready to listen, ask questions, and accept that I may not fully understand the issue.
______	I’m ready to acknowledge what you do well instead of picking apart your mistakes.
______	I recognize your strengths and how you can use them to address your challenges.
_____	I can hold you accountable without shaming or blaming.
_____	I am open to owning my part.
_____	I can genuinely thank someone for their efforts rather than criticize them for their failings.
_____	I can talk about how resolving these challenges will lead to growth and opportunity.
_____	I can model the vulnerability and openness that I expect to see from you.
Minister/Board Team Evaluation

1.	Over the past six months, how has the minister/board team been supporting the ministry vision, mission, and core values?

2.	What have been the ministry’s greatest accomplishments over the past six months? What part have each of you played in creating these successes?

3.	What areas for growth do you see for the ministry at this time? What are your plans for addressing these areas? Please be specific and make sure that an individual is designed to champion each goal.

4.	What has been your experience working with one another over the past six months? How well do you work together as a team? What are your plans for deepening/ improving teamwork and collaboration? (Some suggestions might be: take a Member Services training together, engage a consultant for some board development, study The Advantage by Patrick Lencioni together, etc.)

5.	For the board: what improvement-oriented feedback do you have for the minister?

6.	For the minister: what improvement-oriented feedback do you have for the board?

7.	Is there anything else you would like to share with one another?