Executives from Lionsgate, Netflix and Qvest explored the significance of managers and others in supervisory roles providing feedback to their staff members during the Nov. 3 Women in Technology Hollywood’s (WiTH) SoCal Women’s Leadership Summit, at Nya Studios in Los Angeles.
Research shows that women are 20% less likely than men to get actionable feedback that can contribute to their performance and growth at work. That research inspired the Nov. 3 discussion.
The panelists explored the power of feedback and how we can create space to give and receive meaningful, actionable feedback at work.
The conversation, which took place during the panel session “The Power of Feedback,” was designed to empower attendees to become feedback advocates.
To kick off the discussion, panel moderator Vanessa Fiola, EVP at Qvest, asked Renee McGinnis, EVP at Lionsgate, how her own experience receiving feedback shaped the way that she provides feedback.
“I feel like I’ve had a lot of great feedback,” responded McGinnis. “But really early in my career, I was a consultant,” and had always been told to “make sure, as a young female, to try to make her place in a male dominated world, to not admit to knowing how to make coffee or to taking notes particularly well…. And, as a people pleaser, that was really helpful information to know not only what I should be doing, but what I shouldn’t be doing, to make sure that I’m seen as an equal and a peer. So, I thought that was something kind of out of the gate that I thought was really super helpful.”
Fiola then asked Michelle Huynh, head of production technology and operations at Netflix, to talk about her own experiences with feedback in the media and entertainment industry.
“I would say it’s similar” to Renee’s experiences, “having obviously been in the industry for over 20 years, and being on either end,” responded Huynh.
“As you’re progressing in your career, there’s always an inflection point where now you’re sitting in that seat and acknowledging that you are now in that position of authority,” Huynh said, stressing the importance of “being very intentional with your word, being … empathetic and always assuming good intentions. And, I think, for me, having gone through that cycle and evolving my career as I have, it’s incredibly important to just be able to see the human side in that it takes immense courage for somebody to offer feedback.”
Huynh added: “Feedback, by the way, can be both positive as well as ways to improve.”
“Yes, it’s a loaded term,” agreed Fiola. “It can be many things.” Fiola added: “One of the things that is interesting … that I’ve heard along the way is that the more … senior you become in your career, or experienced you become in your career, that the lonelier it gets in terms of the availability of feedback to you.”
Harvard Business School professor Robert Kaplan published studies saying the more senior you become, maybe the more honest feedback is by polling more junior members surrounding you, Fiola added.
Fiola asked the Lionsgate and Netflix executives if they had experienced that kind of feedback and, if so, what they had done about it.
“I always actively solicit feedback,” replied Huynh. Whether it’s a one-on-one, whether it’s a group session, whether it’s part of the performance review, etc. I think it’s incredibly powerful to always leave that space. And it doesn’t come naturally for most people.”
At her company, “there is certainly a culture that we embrace,” according to Huynh. “And that’s how we believe we can elevate each other…. I think it’s really about setting the right tone, the environment and leaning into that culture of openness and candor.”
McGinnis pointed out that feedback can’t be given to all people in the exact same way.
She explained: “If the soft touch isn’t working, you have to continue to push the feedback so that they can actually hear and recognize that this is not effective and … going through that, I think, is really challenging because it’s hard to change [peoples’] mindsets of who they are and fundamentally how they want to perceive themselves. But, if they’re not seeing and getting that there’s other options and ways to go through a project and … other people are bringing [ideas] to the table, even if they’re very smart, there’s always room for feedback.”
Also, she said: “I think that’s the case with a lot of people…. No one’s perfect and so, we can always use a way to tailor a conversation or tailor how we can be more productive as a team as opposed to an individual.”
One thing to keep in mind, however, is “there’s no wrong way to give feedback,” according to Huynh. She explained: “It’s whatever way that you feel most comfortable [with], whether it’s an email, a Slack message, setting up a one-on-one…. Obviously, if you have shorthand with somebody, by all means, be direct. But, if you don’t, and you’re trying to assess … what is the most optimal way for me to engage in this conversation and provide something that is seen as constructive … the reaction you don’t want is for them to feel defensive. And so, I think identifying what you believe their personality trait, or their preference is” is what you should “lean into.”
It is also important to provide “real time feedback,” according to Huynh, who explained: “Don’t let it fester. I’ve seen that and, what I’ve seen and observed is, it creates this toxicity, where there’s harboring of resentment or what have you.”
She recommended using the “signals that’s offered to you” by each person you want to give feedback to. For example, she said: “If somebody’s having a crappy day, that’s probably not the day you want to give them feedback…. Choose the right moment.”
Huynh added: “If the other party feels that you’re coming in with good intent, and you have to be careful with your words, then it’s going to be felt. Because, at the end of the day, the core threat that unifies us is that we’re humans and we’re here for a reason and we have a common goal. And so, I always say, ‘let’s index on that. We might have different approaches but, at the end of the day, we want the same thing.’”
The annual SoCal Women’s Leadership Summit was presented by Qvest with sponsorship by Softtek, and took place at Nya Studios, located in the heart of Hollywood.
The full-day event, themed “Us, Our Org, Our Community,” offered a dynamic lineup of presentations and discussions.
WiTH, founded in 2014, plays a pivotal role in advancing women in entertainment technology. The WiTH Steering Committee, responsible for selecting Leadership Awards winners, comprises representatives from prominent organizations such as Amazon Studios, Microsoft, Lionsgate, NBCUniversal, Paramount, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and The Walt Disney Company.