Re:Don't soften feedback
by lkbm on Tuesday November 23, 2021 @01:33PM
(#29321349)
A focus on where you can/should improve is definitely the most valuable, but positive feedback is part of that. Specifically, if you're actively working to address a deficiency, this is likely not true:
> since my default is to just keep doing what I'm doing anyway, I don't need to be specifically told that
I had reviews that were something along these lines in the past:
Q1 review:
* "You need to work on your communication and keeping stakeholders in the loop."
[I move all design discussions from DMs to non-private Slack channels, post regular updates on Slack, and set up biweekly status update meetings on Zoom.]
Q2 review:
* "Posting updates on Slack is nice, but not solving the issue." <-- Good to know, but less valuable information than:
* "Using Slack channels + the biweekly Zoom updates have adequately addressed the issue."
TL;DR: If you've changed nothing, then positive feedback is useless. If you're experimenting with various solutions, positive feedback when one works is critical ['cause I'd drop Zoom meetings in a heartbeat if they proved useless].
> since my default is to just keep doing what I'm doing anyway, I don't need to be specifically told that
I had reviews that were something along these lines in the past:
Q1 review: * "You need to work on your communication and keeping stakeholders in the loop."
[I move all design discussions from DMs to non-private Slack channels, post regular updates on Slack, and set up biweekly status update meetings on Zoom.]
Q2 review: * "Posting updates on Slack is nice, but not solving the issue." <-- Good to know, but less valuable information than: * "Using Slack channels + the biweekly Zoom updates have adequately addressed the issue."
TL;DR: If you've changed nothing, then positive feedback is useless. If you're experimenting with various solutions, positive feedback when one works is critical ['cause I'd drop Zoom meetings in a heartbeat if they proved useless].