Page 180 - Roy W. Rice - CEO Material How to Be a Leader in Any Organization-McGraw-Hill (2009)

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You Can Take Bad News

■ Ask for it, but not ad nauseum.
■ Take feedback with the best intent.
■ Give feedback well.

TO IMPROVE, YOU NEED FEEDBACK. THERE IS NO WAY AROUND IT. A
coach provides it in the athletic arena to improve a player’s performance.
A boss, human resources person, peer, mentor, competitor, or customer
can provide it in the business arena—overtly or covertly—to improve
your performance.
You can discount feedback, explain it away, deny it, ignore it, or dis-
credit it, but you sure better seek it—and seek it out repeatedly.
It’s far better to know than not to know what people think you do
poorly or ineffectively because then you can do something about it. If
you’re inattentive to examination, you won’t know what’s holding you back.
Honest feedback can be quite painful, but “tuck your chin in and
head into the storm.” You need to know if they view you as “ready now”
or “ready later” for more responsibility. Experts in formal leadership
assessment say that successful managers look very different from their less

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