
Why I’d Rather Err on the Side of Direct Feedback Than Pleasantries - ssclafani
http://www.bothsidesofthetable.com/2011/12/07/why-id-rather-err-on-the-side-of-direct-feedback-than-pleasantries/
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happyfeet
One gives constructive feedback only if they really care and do not mind
spending some time explaining why you think there are flaws that need to be
corrected.

Several of the managers in companies have the habit of saying "well done" to
top performers with top rating during performance review & have nothing
constructive to say. Does that mean they have nothing to improve in current
position & they should just vacate the place so their direct report can take
his/her place?

As Mark says in the article, it is the difficult path. To take a stance, have
a point of view & explain why it is so. The easier option is to say "great
work" & just run away. I am learning this more often in areas that are new to
me - say in appreciating designs & colors that I am not so good at in web
design & so on.

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_m4
He is missing the point that mostly, people set themselves up for getting
feedback, or not. Especially in a leadership position, one can actively create
a feedback culture or a "yes men" culture. I'd even venture to say that good
leaders can be identified by looking at how well they encourage and use
feedback.

On a related note, if his rate is only 70 to 30 with regards to people who
receive his feedback constructively, there is still room for improvement. From
reading the article, it seems to me he might be little blunt every now and
then.

~~~
_delirium
On the latter point, I think you also need to cultivate some sort of trust
relationship. People need to _care_ about your feedback, and truly believe
that your view might be better than the view they were holding. _Just_ giving
blunt feedback is an easy skill that everyone on Reddit has, so I think people
are pretty used to tuning it out, especially if you give them any reason to
attribute it to you just being grumpy/biased/jerkish.

One part of this, imo, is that the feedback-giver has to accept that _they_
might also be wrong, and be open to admitting that their feedback was
misguided or a matter of opinion if it turns out to be. That helps people to
believe that it's not just the feedback-giver trying to impose their personal
opinions, but actually well-considered advice.

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cr4zy
I saw Mark speak and give startups feedback at an event in Phoenix, Arizona
just last month. He does _exactly_ as the article lays out. His talk was
interesting, and not the usual Silicon Valley advice. For example, he likes to
invest in single founder companies.

I saw him give feedback to three companies. One of them, a company that sold
tech to restaurants, he bluntly told to start over. He said he didn't want to
get in a big debate about it. They were overly nice, and tried to arrive at a
happy middle ground, but Mark would not let them. 'No, it will fail.' he told
them over and over. The guy is definitely on the abrasive side, but I'd also
put him in the class of smart money.

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WalterGR
Just fork it and submit a patch / pull request.

