第4页 Feedback should form loops, not lines.

Picture this scene: It’s performance review time at a high-powered consulting firm. It’s been a rough year with a lot of change. The stressed-out senior director sits at her desk. Across from her is her equally frazzled employee. Now, here’s a question: In this situation, who would you rather be?

As it turns out, most people would rather be neither. Giving and getting feedback is an essential yet unpleasant part of any job. It can be tense and tedious. If done poorly, it can even result in more problems down the road. However, these issues can be avoided if you let feedback become a two-way street.

The key message here is: Feedback should form loops, not lines.

Unfortunately, most people tasked with providing feedback adopt the wrong strategy. They see the process as a straightforward, one-way operation. In this model, the supervisor knows the truth, and they must simply pass it on to their subordinate.

However, this approach is too linear, and does not create the feedback loop necessary for an organization to evolve.

Instead of this hierarchical model, feedback sessions should be approached as a space of mutual exchange. Both parties should be empowered to provide information into a shared pool of knowledge – and, crucially, both parties should take care to understand the other person’s contributions.

Of course, this is easier said than done.

To make things run smoothly, it’s best to separate your pool of information into three separate streams.

The first stream is the facts. This is just a pure distillation of empirical data: numbers, events, and concrete details. The second stream is feelings. This is how each person perceives these facts. Which ones are positive, and which ones are a source of frustration? The third and final stream is impacts, or, the actions that resulted from these perceptions.

When each party shares their assessments this way, it’s possible to create a more accurate picture of the world – without creating tension. Both the supervisor and the employee have a chance to receive new information, and both become potential points of change. As a result, the organization is much more likely to remain agile and responsive in uncertain situations.