Day: July 25, 2013

Staying Open to Honest Feedback — The Good and the Bad

Being our best self is about embracing our gifts and staying open to criticism. Criticism is not an absolute judgment with 100% accuracy. It’s just someone else’s opinion. So, we need to discriminate the value of that opinion. All criticism is not worthy of your attention. Some are extremely helpful. Others should be chucked. But if we are to soar in this world, we must be willing to see with open and honest eyes. At its best, criticism is a knock at the door to help us see that we are off track from our best. It can serve as a supportive nudge to not hang on to something and choose to stay open to change.

Small Business Chron: "How to Create an Atmosphere of Honesty in the Workplace"

“The level of honesty associated with a corporation impacts the very livelihood of the business and can affect relationships beyond the internal infrastructure of the company. Five steps are mentioned to promote an honest work environment by “keeping a workplace free from rumors, negativity and dishonesty. Having open and honest communication can provide management with a way to feel out the overall mood of the office.

Business Insider: "3 Essential Rules to Workplace Honesty"

“The one-size-fits-all concept doesn’t work for most people in any situation, let alone in the workplace. Each company is different. However, it’s how we handle these situations that make the true difference in how our coworkers and employers view and trust us.” In this article, you will find some suggestions for handling workplace honesty.

Forbes: "8 Very Bad Things That Happen When Companies Are Too Nice"

“In such organizations, people think the way to support and respect each other is to be polite at any cost: not to disagree, give people tough news, hold them accountable, or let them know when they’re not succeeding.” The article presents issues such as “terminal niceness” in the workplace; challenges of having “real” conversation happen offline rather than face to face and how a lack of healthy debate makes it difficult to build new processes and products.

CNN Money: "Taking the brutality out of brutal honesty"

“Telling employees you want their honest feedback is a step in the right direction. Showing them that you mean it is even better” Different high level executives give their perspective about employee showing candor. “A big problem at many businesses, Eberhart from CDI recently told New York Times, is that people don’t spend enough time communicating, especially if they see something going wrong.”