Feedback

Performance

In your business culture when providing feedback is it only or mostly about work performance, or is it also about the working relationship between the colleague giving the feedback and the colleague receiving it?

Praise

Praise is important. How is praise given in your culture? Directly, indirectly? A lot of it or not much of it?

Discretion

Does your culture give negative feedback in the presence of other colleagues or does it prefer the discretion of a one-to-one talk?

Scores

Giving feedback necessarily means making a value judgement. It means scoring. Explain a key scoring system in your culture, such as school grades?

A walk with your daughter

Your twelve-year old daughter, Emma, walks off the soccer field, her head hanging low. Her team just lost a 2-1 heartbreaker. Emma plays goaltender. Giving up two goals is nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, she blocked at least four shots on goal, two of which would have gone in against a less capable goaltender. On the other side, had Emma positioned herself better, she could have blocked one of the two goals scored against her team.

So, all in all Emma played well. But your young girl is ambitious. She wants to win and, like you, is overly self-critical. You know that giving her feedback after the game is not the right approach. You wait until after dinner later in the week, when the two of you take your young dog, Rex, a Weimaraner, out for a walk after dinner. It’s still summer. The days are long.

You are German. You’re out for the walk with Emma and begin giving her feedback. What is the underlying logic in how you give your daughter feedback?

You are American. You’re out for the walk with Emma and begin giving her feedback. What is the underlying logic in how you give your daughter feedback?

If you are neither American nor German. You’re out for the walk with your daughter and begin giving her feedback. What is the underlying logic in how you give your daughter feedback?