MANAGING PEOPLE & TEAMS
Stop Asking For Feedback — Ask For Advice Instead
Studies Show That Advice Is a Better approach
It’s a wrap: the major pitch is finally over. The client walks away, shaking your hand, smiling as he waves goodbye. He promises that he will ‘drop another invitation for you to pitch again to his senior leaders’ and you’re elated.
You slump back on the chair, feeling a weight off your shoulders. You look across the table at your manager. Now, you want a second opinion on your presentation — there might be certain places where you can improve.
What do you do here?
If you’re asking for feedback: chances are, you’re better off not asking.
Conventional wisdom says that you need feedback.
Feedback is often framed as something that can give us a lot of benefits. It can uncover blind spots, build up confidence, shoot down arrogance and show us how we can improve. It is often seen as a form of guidance.
The problem is, many people aren’t good at giving feedback.
The inherent flaw in feedback is that it depends more on the giver than the receiver’s subject or performance. Most of us receive vague feedback that isn’t helpful to us in improving our…
