On Feedback

Criticizing Criticism: The case against negative feedback

How do you feel when you get criticized?  Many people's first reaction is often defensiveness, demotivation, antipathy and even retribution.

I’ve had a number of clients say that on giving a supervisee a deservedly poor performance review, in addition to no improvement, the honest feedback was met with a formal complaint to HR.

Yet criticism, especially constructive criticism, is widely viewed as key to individual, organization, and societal progress.

My Psychology Today article today makes the case that while criticism is invaluable to self-teaching computers, people aren’t computers. They have feelings, which usually tip the scales toward minimizing criticism and maximizing earned praise.

The Benefits of Having a Troll: Making the most of criticism, even if unfair

I have a troll, an anonymous person ever looking for a chance to publicly magnify whatever errors I’ve made. Worse, s/he has distorted my work and even manufactured lies, serious lies about me.

Of course, having a troll isn't fun but it has yielded unexpected benefits. I describe them in my PsychologyToday.com article today. It has implications for anyone who is criticized or bullied.

Why Bosses Resist Giving Feedback

To elicit change, does praise actually work better than criticism?

One of psychology's axioms is that to elicit change, one should generally praise more than criticize. My PsychologyToday.com article questions the validity of that. HERE is the link.