FEATURE
Dread Feedback Conversations?
Try Flipping Them Inside-Out By Sarah Elliott, PCC, CPA
D
o you ever dread giving feedback … even when you know it’s important? In the accounting profession, we have a contentious relationship with feedback. Deep down, we know that exchanging feedback, which is simply information regarding prior behavior, can serve as a catalyst for performance improvement. Yet, if we know this, why do we dread it so much? Why do we see it as something we have to suffer through, rather than the benefits it provides? When we asked accountants to share the first words that come up for them when they think of exchanging feedback in the workplace, here are some of the positive responses we received: • Motivating, • Helpful, and • Important.
Here are the negative responses we received to the same question: • Uncomfortable, • Awkward, • Ambiguous, • Inconsistent, • Time-consuming, and • Scary. Isn’t this interesting? Feedback is an exchange of information designed to improve performance. Yet, more people view the feedback process as having a negative impact on their life. Something that should be supportive for growth is instead perceived as negative. It gets worse. Too often, we hear the following: “If I’m not receiving feedback, I assume I’m doing OK” or “No news is good news.” These comments are usually shared in a disappointed, deflated tone.
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