Feedback is a gift

A few years ago, a leader I admire, upon hearing a stinging criticism leveled against him, remarked, “This is one of those situations where I need to remember that ‘feedback is a gift.’” Framing the receipt of negative feedback as an asymmetrically beneficial economic transaction struck me as both counter-intuitive and highly compelling. Since then, I have shared this idea with many of the other leaders with whom I’ve worked. In particular, I’ve suggested that they try a technique that I’ve used with success: When hearing uncomfortable information, remain dispassionate and avoid becoming defensive by repeating silently the mantra “Feedback is a gift…feedback is a gift…feedback is a gift…”

As silly as this practice might sound, the emerging field of neuroeconomics lends support to it. According to an article in the current issue of Business Week, people too often act against their own self interests when they process information…

…[n]ot in the prefrontal cortex, where people rationally weigh pros and cons, but deep inside, where powerful emotions arise. Brain scans show that when people feel they're being treated unfairly, a small area called the anterior insula lights up, engendering the same disgust that people get from, say, smelling a skunk. That overwhelms the deliberations of the prefrontal cortex. With primitive brain functions so powerful, it's no wonder that economic transactions often go awry.

The inference? The “feedback is a gift” mantra works by maintaining the synthesis of negative feedback within the prefrontal cortex (where you can act on it rationally), and prevents the anterior insula from taking over (and producing instinctual defensiveness).

Jeff G.