All too often people wait till the dreaded annual appraisal cycle to sit across the table and get 'feedback'. It ends up being received defensively because it is used later in the conversation to justify or rationalize the performance rating for the year! The recipient gets a development plan based on that feedback that really doesn't have any personal buy in.

What if you turned the process into a regular developmental exercise?

Set up peer groups of 5-6 people and task them with observing each other closely with the intention of helping each other narrow the gap between their intention and their impact. Every few months sit them all down in a room. Have one person leave the room for a few minutes while the rest aggregate their feedback. Once the feedback is consolidated, invite her back into the room and share the feedback. No judgements, no suggestions. Just the situation, the behavior she displayed and the impact it had on people around her in the workplace. Leave it to her to do the rest of the work for only she will know what her real intention was!

Groups of this kind will remain invested in each other for the long term and truly be accountability partners in each persons developmental journey.

This hack is inspired by the Center for Creative Leadership, which employs a similar exercise in a number of its open enrollment programs with great effect.