Principal’s Message

“Feedback is the breakfast of champions”

Over the last six months at KGV I have received and sought a lot of feedback about our school. Research has shown, that one of the most powerful influences on how fast humans learn and adapt is dependent on the quality of the feedback they receive. It is also reliant on how individuals see the feedback and whether it influences future actions and behaviours.

Not only is feedback important to our students, teachers and staff as learners, it is also important to our school as an agile ‘learning community’. Our goal is to make KGV School simply remarkable for the students and community we serve. Feedback about where we are at and what we need to do next is the key ingredient to cultivate this goal of continuous improvement.

Below are a dozen or so leadership quotes that I think encapsulate the importance of feedback as a tool for personal growth and organisational improvement.

• “Feedback is the breakfast of champions.”
  – Ken Blanchard
• “We all need people who will give us feedback. That’s how we improve.”
  – Bill Gates
• “Feedback is a gift. Ideas are the currency of our next success. Let
  people see you value both feedback and ideas.”
  – Jim Trinka and Les Wallace
• “Make feedback normal. Not a performance review.”
  – Ed Batista
• “I think it’s very important to have a feedback loop, where you’re constantly thinking about what you’ve done and how you could be doing it better.”
  – Elon Musk
• “True intuitive expertise is learned from prolonged experience with good feedback on mistakes.”
  – Daniel Kahneman
• “To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing.”
  – Elbert Hubbard
• “The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership.”
  – Harvey S. Firestone
• Strive for continuous improvement, instead of perfection.”
  – Kim Collins
• “There is always space for improvement, no matter how long you’ve been in the business.”
  – Oscar De La Hoya
• “Knowledge rests not upon truth alone, but upon error also.”
  – Carl Jung
• “In a growth mindset, challenges are exciting rather than threatening. So rather than thinking, oh, I’m going to reveal my weaknesses, you say, wow, here’s a chance to grow.”
  – Carol Dweck
• “We can’t just sit back and wait for feedback to be offered, particularly when we’re in a leadership role. If we want feedback to take root in the culture, we need to explicitly ask for it.”
  – Ed Batista

At KGV we are seeking even more feedback. I encourage all to participate in the ESF KGV Stakeholder Survey which will be emailed out next week on either the 5^th or 6^th of March to all our parents, staff and students. The survey will:

• Invite stakeholders to a unique survey link that can only be used once
• Occasionally go to ‘junk mail’, so please check there if you cannot find the email
• Make all responses anonymous, unless the stakeholder chooses otherwise
• Close on 19 March, after which the results will be emailed to our school.

I encourage all parents, students and staff to complete the survey. Your feedback is important to us. If you have any queries regarding the survey please email Betty Ko (betty.ko@kgv.edu.hk).

Kind regards

Mark Blackshaw
Principal
King George V