explore their blind spots. Feedback sessions can help, which brings us back to the
topic: the quality of leadership and a positive business development depend heavily
on how a leader deals with himself or herself.Quod erat demonstrandum.
Essentially, all managers crave contradiction. They know all about the loneliness
at the top. Open communication and open feedback would give them more certainty
in their decisions. However, this rarely happens. And of course, this is not only the
fault of the employees, but often of the leaders themselves: If my boss is not open,
certainly I as his or her employee am not. Reasons for this are insecurity, cowardice
and lack of information. Often there are even homemade taboos, involving thinking
like: “I assume this isn’t allowed – so it’s not allowed.” And it is precisely here that
a feedback culture that is initiated at or at least supported from the top can help.
4.2.2.6 No Fear of Feedback
As such, the advantages of a feedback culture are obvious. And yet, it is only human
that we are reluctant to hear about our own imperfections – however elegantly
expressed. Two American HR experts put it this way: “Employees are terrified
of only hearing criticism. For their part, executives are afraid their subordinates
will respond to even the slightest criticism by being dismissive, getting angry, or
breaking into tears. The result? Everyone keeps a low profile and says as little as
possible” (Jackman and Strober, 7/2003, p. 78).
If we do not learn to overcome this fear, we stand in our own way. The tendency
to shelter ourselves from feedback can have problematic implications: we deny
trouble and do not face the reality, or postpone things due to insecurity. We respond
with pessimism, self-sabotage, or jealousy – and thus we are ultimately harming not
only ourselves but the entire organization. The example of jealousy shows this quite
well: We like to compare ourselves to others. But this can be problematic if the
comparison is dominated by greed, envy or distrust. People who are jealous tend to
see their fellows in an overly positive light, and in so doing put themselves down.
Feedback is a good way to see things realistically and not to exaggerate your
own shortcomings. Our own fear of feedback is often unfounded and becomes
greater, the less we receive responses from others. Therefore I recommend the
following: go to your superiors, to your subordinates and colleagues and tell them
that you are actively seeking feedback. Ask questions about yourself and ask for
specific examples in order to fully understand what is being said. Take responsibil-
ity for yourself by working to better assess your own effect on others.
4.2.3 Coaching
What is coaching? It includes an individual consultation and support by an external
expert in a professional or private context. Coaching encourages clients to develop their
own solutions. A coach should have psychological and business knowledge, as well as
practical experience. Coaching takes place in several sessions and for a limited time.
4.2 Tools as Means to an End 219