Your Team Wants to Grow, Not to be Reminded of its Mistakes

Feedback is a journey into the future, not the past

Feedback is a journey into the future, not the past.

“New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings.” — Lao Tzu

Is that time of year again. As we are about to finish another exhilarating and rewarding roller coaster ride, we want to step back and reflect on the year behind.

Performance review season is upon us too — everyone is getting ready for one of the most frustrating business practices ever. Reminding people of their mistakes not only doesn’t change their behavior but gets everyone stuck in endless rumination.

What if we use feedback to design the future rather than to relive the past?

Shift the conversation — let go of what happened and move on. Your team wants to grow, not to be reminded of what they did wrong.

Don’t Get Stuck in the Past

“Mistakes should be examined, learned from, and discarded; not dwelled upon and stored.”
– Tim Fargo

Focusing on what’s possible versus on what’s broken is a more effective way to drive change.

Rehashing old incidents or putting too much emphas…