contributor Nicholas “Knick” Dixon is a public school administrator, anti-racism advocate, and feedback junky based in Greensboro, NC.
Billionaire businessman and philanthropist, Warren Buffet, once said, “genuine feedback is a gift.” I tend to agree with Mr. Buffet’s assertion. But, let’s be clear, not all gifts are wrapped in nice shiny bows and presented at predictable times of the year. Some are unexpected, inopportune, and downright convicting. So, what should become of those gifts? Here’s a few ideas:
1. Take inventory. If you notice you have several duplicates of the same gift, that’s a sure a sign that some action is needed.
2. Try to open the gifts before you read the names of the senders. This is important, but admittedly difficult to do. It’s necessary, though, to limit implicit biases from getting in the way.
3. Give it a “home” somewhere, anywhere, but for Pete’s sake, don’t leave it in the gift box. Decide on the next course of action as soon as possible. A next step could be as simple as delegating the matter to the person closest to the issue.
The final, and perhaps most important, thing to do is thank the senders. It’s the gentle thing to do and that person deserves appreciation for making your organization better.
And since feedback is a gift, we of course encourage you to make it easy to share it. Learn more about how Possip can help.
