Living in a world of
feedback“We pardon as long as we love.”
Duc de la Rochefoucauld
T
oday I am working in a remote part of France. All of my
work contacts are at least 500 miles away and yet I can
interact with each of them in seconds. The systems we
use are designed increasingly to give us instant feedback on
how we are doing. As I type this page any spelling mistake is
immediately underlined and any grammatical error
highlighted. Yesterday afternoon I entered the chatroom on my
website and was able to share and receive thoughts
instantaneously with delegates on my programs. On my bike I
have a “flight deck” computer that gives me immediate
feedback on my cadence, my current speed, my average
speed, and much more. The feedback systems to which we
have access grow in number and sophistication every day.
Gone are the days when we were given a month to prepare for
our appraisal system so we could hear how we are doing.
Although this fast becoming archaic management system still
exists, we are nevertheless bombarded with instantaneous
feedback on our performance in every sphere of our lives. It is by
learning to love and thrive on feedback that we can excel in the
spontaneity of today’s businessclimate.
Yet in my experience of working with many different people
and organizations, there are very few who have this ability.