Don’t Let One Bad Experience Stop You from Giving Feedback

It can be tough to get up the nerve to give a colleague — or your boss — constructive feedback,  even if they’ve  requested it. And if the person becomes defensive, it’s easy to shut down and tell yourself that offering your thoughts is a bad idea in general. But overgeneralizing from one experience is never a good idea and your thoughts in that moment —  such as “I’m never good at having honest conversations” or “No one wants to hear about things they could do better” —work against you. Your brain is prioritizing your short-term psychological safety over the long-term benefit of having discussions that allow you and your colleague to learn. Don’t give into this negative thinking. Instead focus on the positive experiences you’ve had giving feedback. After a bad experience, you might say, “Wow, that didn’t go well, but my general track record is still very good.”
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*Source: Harvard Business School’s Management Tip of the Day
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