Episode 64: The Feedback That Actually Changes Behavior
From A Student of Leadership - Real Leaders. Real Growth. One Table. by Robert Adams
May 12, 2026 · 14 min · Episode 64
About this episode
Robert Adams discusses the concept of feedforward and its impact on leadership and behavior change.
Most feedback creates defensiveness. Feedforward creates development. In this episode of A Student of Leadership, Robert Adams shares the concept that changed how he leads and coaches: feedforward. The shift from looking in the rearview mirror to looking through the windshield. And the stakeholder approach to leadership development that removes the distortion of self-assessment. In this episode: - Robert's personal story: why the feedback conversations he was having were not changing behavior, and what shifted when the language changed - The rearview mirror versus the windshield: a visual that reframes how development conversations land - Why backward-facing information produces defense, and how forward-facing information produces development - The exact language shift that keeps the wall from going up in your next development conversation - The stakeholder piece: why the people you impact and influence every day hold the most accurate picture of your actual leadership behavior - How to use a two-part stakeholder question to ground your development in reality rather than self-perception - Where AI genuinely helps in the feedback and development space and where the relational work…
People in this episode
Host: Robert Adams
Topics covered
- feedback
- leadership development
- feedforward
- self-assessment
- stakeholder approach
- behavior change
Keywords
- feedback
- feedforward
- leadership
- development
- behavior change
- stakeholder
- self-assessment
More episodes of A Student of Leadership - Real Leaders. Real Growth. One Table.
- Episode 68: How to Lead When You Do Not Have the Authority · June 9, 2026 · 14 min
- Episode 67: Leading When Your Team Is Beat Down · June 2, 2026 · 14 min
- Episode 66: Leading Across Generations · May 26, 2026 · 16 min
- Episode 65: The Leader Who Sees the Whole Person · May 19, 2026 · 16 min
- Episode 63: Developing People in a Time-Starved Environment · May 5, 2026 · 14 min
- Episode 62 - The Daily Act Is the Leadership Act · April 28, 2026 · 15 min
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