Feedback That Actually Works

Feedback That Actually Works is a five-day senior-level course delivered by Mars Training Centre in London, Prague, Rome, Dubai, and Bali, and online — designed for directors, vice presidents, and senior leaders responsible for the performance of others.

Almost every organisation runs a feedback process. Almost none of them work. Annual reviews are dreaded, 360s are diluted, constructive feedback lands as criticism, and praise that should travel forward stops at the manager's desk. The cost is real: talented people leaving for reasons their manager could have addressed, mediocre performance going unchallenged for years, and senior leaders developing blind spots no one is brave enough to name. The leaders who change this are not the ones with the best appraisal template; they are the ones who can have an honest conversation in real time.

Across five focused days, you will work through the science of feedback — what the human brain actually does when it hears it, the difference between coaching and evaluation, the structures that make hard messages land, and the moves that turn senior leaders into people their teams want to hear from. The cases are drawn from the United Kingdom, Europe, the Gulf, and Asia, and the work is delivered by senior practitioners with line-leadership and HR-leadership experience.

What You Will Learn

• Distinguish between the three purposes of feedback — appreciation, coaching, and evaluation — and use each one deliberately.
• Apply a structured model for giving difficult feedback that protects the relationship and the message.
• Receive feedback well, including unfair or badly delivered feedback, without losing composure or learning.
• Diagnose the feedback culture in your own team and identify what is missing.
• Lead a performance review that produces clarity, not theatre.
• Give feedback upward — to peers, board members, and your own manager — with credibility.
• Hold the line on standards while protecting the dignity of the person in front of you.
• Coach other senior leaders to give better feedback in your organisation.
• Embed feedback into the rhythm of work rather than confining it to formal moments.

How You Will Benefit

You will leave with a set of specific feedback skills, a personal diagnosis of your own current habits, and a Mars Certificate of Completion.

Your organisation will gain a senior leader whose team gets clearer guidance, makes faster progress on performance issues, and stays longer because people feel they are growing.

Who This Programme Is For

This programme is designed for senior leaders who give feedback as a core part of the role, including:

• Senior Vice Presidents and Vice Presidents
• General Managers and Country Managers
• Directors of all functions with team responsibility
• Heads of HR, Talent, and Learning and Development
• HR Business Partners working with senior populations
• Senior project, programme, and transformation directors

The seniority floor is senior manager and above. The programme is delivered in person over five consecutive days, and delegates receive a Mars Certificate of Completion.