Bad Feedback Is Worse Than No Feedback

We ask for feedback all the time.  We're encouraged to give feedback to others constantly.  Many times that's exactly the right answer.

Sometimes it's not.

When you don't have something intelligent or productive to say, don't provide feedback.  It's bad for the recipient and it's bad for you.

I understand we live in a time where feedback is a gift and in the era of 360′s, performance appraisals, constant coaching and mentoring, and a healthy environment of job insecurity where we seek feedback as a form of validation that we're not getting canned there is a tremendous amount of pressure to give and ask for feedback.

But just because someone asks you for feedback or you're directed to provide feedback, it doesn't mean you should.  Yes – I know some HR manager's head is exploding right now and a touchy feely executive coach is having an embolism but someone has to put a stop to the stupidity.  I figure if I see it, I own it (which is one of my personal leadership maxims I explain in this post and in my book).  If I see a problem, it's my responsibility as a leader to point it out and work toward a solution.  This post is part of that solution.

Yep.  I'm ranty today.  That's because I've seen too much poor and lazy feedback lately and the negative effects it can have are tremendous.  Allow me to explain.

Be sure you're qualified to provide feedback

Yes.  You're smart (I know that because you're reading this).  That doesn't mean you're qualified to opine on every topic.  If you're not qualified to provide intelligent guidance and constructive criticism on a topic, then don't.  As much as I'd like to pretend I know things about small particle physics, there's no way I should tell a Ph. D. in small particle physics his theory isn't solid.  I simply don't have the credentials.

This kind of feedback is dangerous when the recipient of the feedback mistakenly believes you have the credibility and experience to provide guidance on the topic.  They might change their approach to the project just because you said so when actually the provider of the feedback was 180 degrees off base.

Rule: if you don't understand the subject matter you'd like to provide feedback on, shut up.

Be sure you're well-informed before providing feedback

If someone gives a presentation that you're only halfway paying attention to, you look like a boob when you tell them "you should cover topic X because you completely missed that critical piece of information" when topic X was covered in slide 2 (you just happened to miss it).  This is a microcosm of the issue at hand.

More broadly, think about times you've given or received feedback when the person providing the feedback (you or someone else) wasn't fully informed of the circumstances surrounding the issue.  The recipient got extremely frustrated and in many cases felt they were treated unfairly (sorta like when I chastise my son for yelling at his sister when I didn't know she had just called him a poopie head before he yelled at her for doing so).

Providing feedback without a proper knowledge base frustrates the recipient and they'll summarily dismiss your suggestions because you don't have the full story (even if some of your suggestions are valid).

Be sure the feedback helps the recipient improve

We've all received (and likely given at one time or another) feedback that wasn't constructive and was instead given in a spirit of "well I'm smarter and more experienced than you are and allow me to prove it by providing feedback that demonstrates my smartitude and your ineptitude."  That kind of feedback sucks.

When you do this, you come across as a pompous and self-important ass.  Showing the recipient how much you know is a surefire way to get them to loathe you.

Instead, be sure when you're providing that feedback it's designed to put new tools or skills in the hands of the recipient.  If you're offering advice in a genuine attempt to help the person, it will be obvious.  If the feedback has ulterior motives (even if they're simply to cement your place somewhere higher than the recipient in the hierarchy of your organization) then don't provide it.

Sure.  Feedback is a gift.  The question is whether the gift you're giving is an awesome new e-book reader or a pile of novelty plastic dog poop.  If your feedback is the latter, save the 99 cents at the novelty store and go find someone you can legitimately help.

Yep. I said it.

Thanks to Mike Figliuolo / thoughtLEADERS, LLC
http://www.thoughtleadersllc.com/2011/10/bad-feedback-is-worse-than-no-feedback/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ThoughtleadersLlcBlog+%28thoughtLEADERS+Blog%29#.TrAkPpX4Lis