Using Feedforward

Being a leader comes with many responsibilities, requiring patience, understanding, and the willingness to embrace mistakes as learning opportunities. Effective leadership is rooted in a growth mindset—not only for personal development but, more importantly, for the benefit of those around you. Leaders who remain stuck in a fixed mindset hinder progress, creating obstacles and potentially causing their followers to lose respect for both them and their peers. In contrast, a growth mindset enables leaders to remain open to new ideas and continuous improvement, fostering an environment where followers feel valued, respected, and encouraged to share their thoughts and contribute to collective success.

A leader with a growth mindset understands that challenges are opportunities for learning rather than setbacks. By embracing adaptability and resilience, they inspire their team to do the same. Leaders who actively seek feedback and are open to constructive criticism create a culture of trust and collaboration. This not only strengthens relationships but also enhances productivity and innovation. Leadership is not about having all the answers but about fostering an environment where everyone can grow and contribute to shared goals. A growth mindset ultimately leads to stronger, more effective leadership.

When our class was given the opportunity for feedforward, I gained valuable insights that I will carry forward. My classmates suggested that I ensure my voice is heard and that I have fun with the content I create. Ultimately, the work I produce is a reflection of who I am. Sharing my voice through my work has taught me the importance of authenticity and purpose, making my contributions more meaningful. Also, what I love about feed forwards is my peers catching my small grammar mistakes. I, for one, am not an English person. I love how my classmates catch my small grammar mistakes! As Dr. J told me, those pesky commas always get in our way! LOL. 

Providing feedforward to my classmates also gave me a new perspective on their work. By offering feedback, I became more aware of the areas I needed to improve in my own work. Reviewing my peers’ websites and witnessing their creativity inspired me, sparking new ideas that I could incorporate into my own projects. It’s incredible to see how much growth we’ve achieved in just eight weeks—it still amazes me! Time has flown by, and our collective progress is evident in our work. Feed forward helps people envision and focus on creating a positive, future-focused approach to moving ahead rather than concentrating on oversights of the past (Yale 2025).

Giving and receiving feedforward will continue to shape my leadership style and personal growth. As a collaborative leader, I will strive to listen to diverse perspectives and ideas from those around me. I also aim to provide encouragement, wisdom, and motivation to help others reach their goals. By fostering an environment of shared learning and support, I hope to grow alongside my peers and contribute to their success. 

Ultimately, collaborative leadership strengthens relationships, promotes continuous learning, and drives collective success. By fostering an inclusive and cooperative work environment, leaders can inspire innovation, build stronger teams, and achieve meaningful results. In a world that thrives on collaboration, this leadership style is essential for long-term success. As said above, it will take a lot of trial and error, but with the help of my peer around me, a decision will be made. Also, growth and goals will follow as we are making these everyday decisions.

By giving feed forward, it also helps myself and my classmates to have a growth mindset to where we can receive feedback in a positive way. The main goal is to give positive feedback to use to make our own work better than what it really is. The main thing we must understand is it is never against the person, but to only help the person to get to their goal. My main goals when giving feed forward is to help and inspire my fellow classmates. By giving my input in, I hope they see the hopeful growth I am giving to them to help them grow.

In conclusion, collaborative leadership and a growth mindset are essential for personal and collective success. Embracing feedback, both given and received, fosters continuous learning, strengthens relationships, and encourages innovation. While leadership comes with challenges, the willingness to adapt, listen, and grow ensures progress. By working together and supporting one another, we can make informed decisions, achieve our goals, and create a positive, motivating environment. Ultimately, feedback is not about criticism but about growth, helping us refine our work and become better leaders in the process.

Reference

Yale University. (2025.). Feedforward. Yale University. https://your.yale.edu/work-yale/learn-and-grow/yale-performance-management/feedforward