Feedback going wrong

After writing about Receiving Feedback, a friend of mine shared a rather abysmal situation. His partner shared with their manager that the team was feeling demotivated. The team felt they were going to old habits that made them less successful. It’s frustrating when you learn from past mistakes, but your manager makes you go through those hardships again. After my friend’s partner spent some time providing feedback and sharing how the team felt, the manager flipped on her. Stating that maybe the team was demotivated because of her.

I sometimes feel I live in a bubble, because I can’t recall a time where a manager was this obtuse with me. I certainly have had difficult conversations and seen people getting defensive. But after the dust has settled - which is only a couple of minutes - the fruitful conversation begins.

People leave managers, not companies.