Handling Negative Feedback
Like many people, I happily collect bits of advice that help me cope with challenging situations. One such nugget that I have applied quite often since I first encountered it, came from a Crisp Publications pamphlet that seems to be out-of-print.I wasn't expecting anything unusually memorable as I read through the booklet, which, as I recall, a client had given me to review as part of the background research for a course on supervision.
As it turned out, the basic process the booklet recommended for handling negative feedback has become my own, and it is also what I have often passed along to others. It goes like this ...
Suppose someone says something to you like, "You'd get a lot more done if you weren't such a perfectionist." What to do?
I won't talk here about the aspects of this situation relating to maintaining good relations with the other person. Instead, I'll just share the two-step process for responding appropriately to the content of the feedback:
- Ask yourself: Is this feedback legitimate? Is it a fair observation about what I do or say?
If your honest answer is No (perhaps you're confident that you exercise good judgment in deciding how much attention to give to dotting i's and crossing t's in different situations), you need go no further.
If your answer is Yes, proceed to Step 2. - Recognizing that the person's feedback is accurate, what is the best way of addressing the issue?
The more important the issue, the more attention you should give to dealing with the problem.
Labels: Coaching, Communication
posted by Karen Nelson @ 11:30 AM
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