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Thanks for the Feedback by Douglas Stone

11/26/2020

How important is feedback for personal and organizational growth and is there a wrong and right way to give and receive it? Feedback plays a key role in improving performance, without it there is no way of accurately knowing how good your performance is. In essence it provides a breakdown of what you are doing right as well as what you need to work on in order to excel at the tasks required of you. Nonetheless despite its importance feedback isn't always given or received properly. Through the pages of “Thanks for the Feedback” Sheila Heen and Douglas Stone do a great job of navigating the complexities of giving and receiving feedback and on completion of the book readers will no doubt be left with a better understanding of, and appreciation for, this topic.
A key theme and message in the book is the importance of adopting a “Growth Mindset.” An individual or organization with a such a mindset is one who views themselves as progressively improving with each future evolution of themselves, being a more improved version of themselves. Constructive feedback is therefore welcomed and even sought after by such a person, after all, in their goal to attain excellence, knowledge of where they currently stand, performance-wise, helps them know what improvements they need to focus on.
In regards to appropriately receiving feedback here are the key takeaways I got from the book:

Dont take it personal
When given inappropriately feedback may seem like a checklist of your shortcomings, but instead of viewing it as a personal attack, make note of these shortcomings and view the list as a checklist of shortcomings that need to be fixed for you to attain optimal performance.

Ask for specific details
Instead of settling for vague feedback e.g. “Your work is sloppy.” Ask the giver for details on how your work is sloppy and what they consider to be ideal work. Getting details gives you precise direction on what aspects of your performance you can improve on to make it exceptional and beyond reproach.

Show appreciation for the feedback
Regardless of if you think the feedback is genuinely constructive or not, thank the person for taking the time to give you it. Ending a feedback receiving/giving session in this manner shows that you appreciate the other persons effort, value their opinion and value the opportunity to gain knowledge on what your current state of performance is and how it can be improved.

As concerns giving appropriate feedback, the key takeaways I got from that book are:

Make sure the feedback is packaged right
Similar to wrapping gifts in beautiful wrapping, feedback is a delicate subject which if not packaged right could be negatively construed. By packaging I am referring to the manner in which the feedback process is initiated, basically is the idea of getting feedback presented in appealing manner to the person receiving it. The first step in the process should include two ingredients; you asking the individual for permission to give them feedback and you informing them that the feedback isn't a personal attack just a means to help them improve their performance. Starting the process in such an amicable manner helps alleviate feelings of tension that they may have and this increases the chances of the feedback being received positively.

Be complimentary
Instead of turning the feedback session into judgmental, finger pointing event start it of by acknowledging and complimenting the person receiving feedback on the positive aspects of their performance. You can use a statement such as; “ Hey Jane/John, first off I just have to say its a pleasure having you on the team, you've been doing a great job making sure all project deadlines are met and overall your performance on the team has been very positive. However I think with just a few tweaks to certain areas of your work, your performance can go from great to stellar. Here are some areas I think you can improve in to take your performance to that next level.” Being complimentary shows that you genuinely appreciate them as an employee, colleague or teammate and are not trying to berate them but truly trying to help them excel at the tasks required of them.

Give specific/measurable details and suggest changes
The SMART acronym for setting goals comes to mind when I consider giving feedback and while giving feedback and goal setting aren't the same thing they are somewhat related in the sense that feedback can serve as a catalyst or ingredient in setting performance related goals. Specific, measurable details should be the key make up of the feedback being given. In addition to giving Specific, Measurable details suggesting Achievable, Realistic changes should be suggested and lastly a Time period or date, when results related to the changes made can be assessed, should be set by the receiver or giver.

On conclusion of the book I was left with these key takeaways and realized the important role that feedback can play in improving personal and team performance. Incorporating the right approach on giving and receiving feedback into your lifestyle or your organization’s culture is no doubt a step in the right direction. Thank you Sheila Heen and Douglas Stone for providing guidance, through the pages of this book, on how to tap into this very powerful and ever available resource called feedback.

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