A good feedback system is an absolutely critical aspect of a functioning organization. At a macro level, when companies don’t do feedback well, pockets of disagreements within organizations grow, causing resentment, distrust, and ultimately organizational failure. At a micro level, feedback is the only way to achieve true personal growth. You are not objective enough about yourself to grow effectively without external feedback.
<aside> <img src="/icons/star-outline_yellow.svg" alt="/icons/star-outline_yellow.svg" width="40px" /> "If you avoid conflict to keep peace, you start a war inside yourself." -Someone wise
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If feedback is so critical to a company's success, why do so many companies fail at it?
Because, it's easy to fail in these areas:
Ultimately, giving and receiving feedback is just hard; it often triggers painful emotions. The alternative, though, is failure. There's no such thing as a workplace without feedback in our opinion. If you're not hearing "bad news," people are too afraid to give feedback to you and each other.
<aside> <img src="/icons/star-outline_yellow.svg" alt="/icons/star-outline_yellow.svg" width="40px" /> Don't just ask for feedback, but tell and show your people it's expected.
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Do you think you could give feedback and frame it in a way that will leave the person feeling positive and motivated to fix it?
Anywhere, Anytime....
Where it will help the most.
The key to giving feedback is to prevent activating people's “lizard brain” and provoking a feeling of anger or fear. Base emotions, like fear and anger, are powerful; once invoked they cloud higher-level thought.
The good news is there's a simple way of communicating feedback that avoids provoking anger and defensiveness.