Unselfish feedback

How many times a day do you give or receive feedback?

Feedback can be one of two things:

• An understanding of how something meets a goal,
• A personal preference for how you’d do something differently.

Unselfish feedback propels good work forward. Selfish feedback not only slows it down but makes it lose its sense of direction. Of the two examples, can you tell which is which?

While giving feedback, ask yourself: “Is this feedback just ‘my style’, or does it help move things forward toward the goal?” If you’re unsure, you’re not clear enough on the goal.

Similarly, while receiving feedback, ask yourself: “Where’s the unselfish part of this feedback that will help me move things forward toward the goal?” This filter helps keep things on track.

Next time you give feedback, ask yourself, “Is this “Unselfish feedback?”