Flummoxing Feedback
Dear fellow practitioner,
Have you ever felt flummoxed by feedback? Receiving feedback can feel like an attack on our character. Sometimes feedback is very unwelcome or inaccurate. Sometimes rejecting feedback is really important. Sometimes integrating feedback can be a creative endeavor — feedback always reveals something about the one who shares it; take the opportunity to learn something new.
Giving and receiving feedback is a skill.
My own thoughts, feelings and best intentions are something entirely different from the story in someones head and how I may have impacted them. Sorting through this takes patience.
Another area to address within feedback is Convergent & Divergent Thinking. One person might say "Well, that idea is impractical" and potentially shut down an innovative solution. It's important to recognize which mode we are in — are we diverging and exploring a plethora of ideas or are we attempting to look at tradeoffs and converge on an optimal outcome?
Find where feedback lands
Is the feedback your getting more reactionary and full of many ideas? Are you being coached towards some optimal outcome? Knowing where feedback is landing — in theory — could reduce friction in an interdisciplinary context. Or maybe, feedback just sucks. In any case, here is a helpful figure to reflect on.
