The Purpose of Feedback - Part 1

Almost every Non-Manager Tools manager thinks feedback is hard. And yet every year thousands of managers start giving feedback successfully. These managers have discovered that not only is it NOT that hard, but it’s well received, it works, and frankly, it’s easy to get addicted to giving it.

What does these managers know you don’t? There are several things, but the one that rules them all is that most managers don’t understand the PURPOSE of feedback. Why am I giving it? What’s its value? Once you understand the purpose of feedback, it’s all downhill from there.

“He who has a why can bear almost any how.” That’s Nietzsche. Managers who don’t understand the why - the purpose - of feedback will always struggle to give it. The purpose of feedback is simple: Encourage Effective Future Behavior. Let’s take that apart so you can give feedback the way you know you’re supposed to.

And by the way, did you notice that there’s only ONE purpose for feedback? There aren’t two, one for positive and one for negative. That helps a LOT!