From Feedback to Feedforward: A Better Way Forward
I was re-re-reading Marshall Goldsmith’s ‘Principles of Feedforward’ from his book – “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There” for may be the umpteenth time.
If you have to understand this book in three simple sentences –
(1) It’s often our behavioral problems, not a lack of and technical skills at the job, that hold very successful people back from being even more successful.
(2) You can get surprisingly great results by practicing simple ways of acting, like saying thank you, actively listening to understand, thinking before speaking, and apologizing when you mess up.
(3) The very first thing you need to do to change is to actually want to change.
The ‘Principles of Feedforward’ laid down in this book has always been my favorite topic. You focus on providing constructive suggestions for the future rather than dwelling on past mistakes.
The idea is to help people (it can be your down-line, teenaged child, student or anyone) improve by offering forward-looking advice instead of traditional feedback, which often emphasizes what went wrong.
There are five key principles to keep in mind.
1. Focus on the Future – Unlike feedback, which analyzes past actions, feedforward encourages people to look ahead and make positive changes.
2. Encourage Growth – Instead of pointing out flaws, feedforward provides actionable suggestions to help people succeed.
3. Reduce Defensiveness – Since feedforward is solution-oriented, it minimizes resistance and fosters a more open-minded approach to improvement.
4. Applicable to Everyone – Anyone can offer feedforward, regardless of their relationship with the person receiving it. It’s about ideas, not personal history.
5. Quick & Effective – The process is simple: ask for two suggestions, listen without judgment, take notes, and thank the person for their input.
Goldsmith has observed that leaders who embrace feedforward experience greater engagement and success in their professional and personal lives.
Let us now explore how Pradeep Sarangdhar, the District Sales Manager at Nakshatra Pharmaceuticals, (a fictitious company created for this essay) is doing this.
Pradeep Sarangdhar is leading a team of seven Medical Representatives, and is focusing on prescription generation to drive sales performance, and ensuring market expansion.
The ‘Principles of Feedforward’ are amazingly useful in helping Pradeep Sarangdhar to develop his team, improve doctor and retail pharmacist. relationships, and enhance overall performance.
How can Pradeep apply feedforward in his role?
1. Coaching Medical Representatives
– Instead of reviewing past mistakes, Pradeep guides his team by suggesting new ways to improve doctor and retail pharmacist engagement.
Example
Instead of saying, “Your last detailing didn’t work,” say, “Next time, can you try focusing more on the unique benefits which Zantoxid (Nakshatra’s probiotic) has for his pediatric patients with diarrhea. Do you think this unique benefit will work?”
2. Motivating his team for Growth
– Sales teams thrive when they receive encouragement and actionable guidance instead of just performance reviews.
– Use feedforward to set clear future goals.
Read what Pradeep says.
“Can we aim to create 5 loyal doctors for Zantoxid by building deeper relationships through a patient-centered approach as suggested by Madan Parlikar our Group Brand Manager? What are your thoughts on this?”
3. Collaborating with Senior Leadership:
– When discussing growth strategies with leadership, Pradeep provides forward-looking insights instead of analyzing past failures.
– Instead of saying, “Our last quarter’s numbers were disappointing,” he presents this as, “In the coming six months, we can enhance our prescription outreach by making four influencer doctors from each Medical Representatives territory in my District to make Brand Zantoxid their top of mind brand. I have customized local strategies for each of these influencers which I shall discuss with every Medical Representative and – but in the end I will say – that it is their idea. I shall play the role of a catalyst.”
4. Improving Customer Engagement:
– Pradeep applies feedforward when training his team on handling objections and improving relationships with doctors and pharmacies.
– Example: Dr. Banerjee didn’t respond positively to Shweta the Medical Representative, because his patients had to run to at least three or four retail pharmacists to get the prescription filled. “Shweta, next time, let us focus on the specific need Dr. Banerjee mentioned. Can you suggest a solution to this problem?”
Shweta responds what she will say “Dr. Banerjee Sir, I want to apologize to you and your patients for the inconvenience I have caused. Dr. Banerjee Sir, can you please tell me the names of the retail pharmacies where your prescriptions are generally honored? I shall make Zantoxid available not on in these retail pharmacies but also all the nearby pharmacies.”
“Exactly Shweta! You are now engaging Dr. Banerjee in solving his problem.”
5. Creating a Culture of Growth & Innovation:
– Encourage your team to share ideas for improvement, reinforcing a positive, action-oriented mindset.
– Example: Instead of saying, “Your performance needs improvement says, “Can we explore new engagement techniques for to make influencer doctors like Dr. Viraj Patel a Zantoxid loyalist? What strategies do you suggest Shweta?”
Why This Works for Sales Management?
– Boosts motivation by focusing on solutions rather than problems.
– Encourages collaboration and open communication with your team.
– Enhances adaptability by promoting innovative thinking for market challenges.
– Strengthens leadership presence by fostering a positive and proactive environment.
By using feedforward effectively, you can drive team success, improve client relationships, and position Nakshatra Pharmaceuticals for greater industry impact.
Joint-field work with Medical Representatives is a powerful opportunity for on-the-job training, skill development, and motivation.
Applying feedforward during field visits can help Medical Representatives enhance their prescription generation effectiveness without the pressure of traditional feedback.
How to Use Feedforward during Joint-Field Work
1 – Set Positive Expectations Before the Visit
– Before heading into the field, set the tone by discussing future-oriented goals rather than past mistakes.
Example
✅ *Feedforward: “Shweta, today, let’s focus on how we can make Zantoxid more relatable to Dr. Viraj Patel.”
❌ Traditional Feedback: “Shweta, last time, your approach lacked engagement.”
2 – Guide During Doctor Calls Instead of Evaluating After
– Instead of reviewing errors post-call, suggest actionable improvements before the next visit.
Example
✅ *Feedforward: “On your next call with Dr. Viraj Patel, let’s try asking more open-ended questions to understand her concerns.”
❌ Traditional Feedback: “Shweta, you didn’t ask enough questions in the last call.”
3 – Encourage Idea Sharing & Problem-Solving
– Instead of analyzing past failures, involve Medical Representatives in brainstorming future strategies.
Example
✅ _ “How can we position Zantoxid Capsules in a better way for Gastroenterologists? Shweta, what do you think?”
❌ _”You missed some key selling points earlier.”
4 – Reinforce Confidence and Growth Mindset
– Ensure Medical Representatives see challenges as opportunities for prescription enhancement.
Example
✅ _ “Next time, can we highlight the unique pricing advantage when discussing with Zantoxid pharmacists.”
❌ “You didn’t mention pricing properly last time.”
5 – End the Day with Actionable Insights
– Instead of a critique session, close with future-focused guidance that builds enthusiasm.
Example
✅ _ “Next week, let’s experiment with a new approach – Emotional Intelligence – to build stronger relationships with key doctors.”
❌ _”You need to improve your rapport-building skills.”
Why This Works for Medical Representatives
✅ * Builds confidence instead of defensiveness
✅ * Enhances learning through forward-focused guidance
✅ * Encourages proactive thinking and problem-solving.
✅ * Motivates Medical Representatives to improve without fear of criticism
By using feedforward, you can create a positive, growth-focused culture that helps Medical Representatives excel in their roles while making joint-field work a truly impactful learning experience.
To summaries, feedforward, as proposed by Marshall Goldsmith, offers six key benefits.
- Focuses on future solutions rather than past problems
- Feels less threatening than feedback since it’s not criticizing past behavior
- Provides practical suggestions for improvement
- Creates positive, forward-looking conversations
- Builds better relationships through constructive guidance
- Empowers people to make meaningful changes
Nicely worded, relatable and immediately implementable.