The Double Meaning of "Feedback"

As a Gen-Xer, I definitely subscribe to the view of "feedback" that you outlined - more negative and judgmental in nature. Sounds as though the Gen-Y's view is much broader and positive, but how do those of us who have grown up with "feedback" in a different light work to change our definition? Thoughts?

I love this post and your thoughts here, and I'm Twittering the heck out of it. As a member of Generation Y, I think you're right on. (Actually, I prefer "Millennials," which defines us as unique rather than only in relation to another generation.) I ask, beg and plead with my managers for more feedback, and it's like pulling teeth. Their thinking tends to be, "If we're not saying anything, that means you're doing your job." I would add to your thoughts here that my generation grew up hearing that we can be anything we want to be. As we realize that we can't be *everything* we'd like to be, it is very helpful to hear people we admire and respect tell us where our strengths do lie, what we do well as individuals. That helps give our career and life ambitions focus and direction. Affirmations which may seem unnecessary and banal to offer are often very helpful.

As a member of Generation Y, I don't think you could have nailed this any more perfectly. Our definition of feedback is radically different then what it has been in the past. However, we will tell you when we want to be assessed we just take a more round about path to that eventual assessment. Feedback for us has been constant throughout our lives...why should anyone expect that it suddenly change/drop off dramatically when we reach the business world. Wording can be troublesome... Great article.

Hi Tammy!

Love this post.

I think you noted something really important: The distinction between the "feedback" as a negative, value-laden judgment and "feedback" as a part of a process of continuous learning. This generational distinction is totally helpful and something we will keep in mind.

I'm excited that you can see how Rypple's type of "feedback" (quick, specific and frequent) is part of a continuous learning process. That's exactly what we built it for!

I found this post and the comments very interesting. The sentences: "They don't want you to judge them, but rather to teach them. They hope you'll share ideas, input, suggestions, or coaching." are particularly pertinent for me. It seems to me that young people in the workplace are seeking "more direction" but for some reason the word that is being used is 'feedback'.

Again, an amazing post that's spot on. As a gen Y, I crave feedback, but often struggle with how often I should ask for it from my boomer manager without annoying him. If it were up to me, I'd be asking for feedback at least once a week just the bounce ideas and gauge my progress. However, my boomer manager feels, quoting Daniel's comment, "If I don't say anything, you're doing a good job." It's frustrating. How often is too often? How do you deal with this mindset from management?

What a fantastic article. You've hit it right on.

I'm a Gen Y and while I may not ask my manager for feedback a lot this is definitely what I think of when I'm asked to rate my managers and the companies performance in relation to feedback.

I know I do a good job and so I want to be told how I can be even better, what more I can do, what I can learn, and what skills the people around me have so they can mentor me. If I'm not doing a good job I expect to be told how I can improve.
If I write a process and ask the team for feedback I'm expecting them to work with me so it's correct and full.
This is what I think of when it comes to feedback.

Being told "good work, keep it up" isn't helpful at all, except for an ego boost.

Thanks for this clarification. I had a Gen Y in my office of mostly Boomers and we all thought he was just insecure and needed constant reassurance--even though he was very intelligent and possessed skills that some of the rest of us only dreamed about (technology). What most of us said to him was, "if you're screwing up, we'll tell you."

I'm really sorry we didn't know what he wanted--it's all in the language, and no one told us Boomers the definition of feedback changed.

Reading this blog I find it fascinating to read the responses. You can tell the ones from Gen Yers: they are immediately positive; in a language you wouldn't tend to see from a boomer. The Gen Yers are giving replies in a language that they like to receive: many small positive encouragements. This just confirms the truth of the original article. Nice one!

Perceiving feedback is not just linked to generation. It’s linked to passion. If I am passionate about what I am speaking then I would like to know more about it. So naturally I will welcome feedbacks. It’s linked to culture. In a closed culture feedback can be misinterpreted as criticism. Where as an open culture encourages feedbacks. So I would say Gen ‘Y’ are those who are passionate and belongs to an open culture. They have a positive outlook and look forward for opportunities to learn from feedbacks.

From the comments here, you have clearly hit a resonant note with the Ys. I have generally obliged when asked for more feedback, and I consider this and all other interactions learngn opportunities. The issue for some of my millenial coworkers is that I have developed a blunt sincerity that they are not used to--partly because of the demands on my time that all this interaction requires.

I can work on it, and will. But I think there is a note of selfishness still in this discussion (and in the boomer-Y lovefest): why can't millenials meet us half way? Somehow, the rest of us managed to learn something without constant interaction about performance. We (I am an X) can be far more accomodating than we are in these requests for learning. But millenials would be surprised at how much can be learned by observing, experimenting, and listening.

Eye-opening post! Hope it opens eyes in all generations.

I like what you've said here, Tammy. I think another part of the issue is that there are people who will work for and with you who want more attention than other team members. In my experience they usually don't ask you to "pay more attention to me." Instead, they ask for more feedback.

I am part of the Gen X gang but have definitely managed to change my attitude towards requesting feedback over the past couple of years.

I can remember the days when asking for feedback would probably be the last thing I would do. Why would I give someone the opportunity to tell me that I wasn't good at something.

Now things are very different and a lot of that is to do with the environment within which I work. Now if I don't ask for feedback then I think of it as a missed opportunity to understand how I can become better.....maybe I am just getting old...

Chris
http://learn2develop.blogspot.com

Hi Tammy

Feedback defines for professional what their mentor/ senior thinks is important for a task/ activity. At its best, feedback should:

1. guide both sub ordinates and mentor
2. be a core part of working and learning,
3. guide profesionals to become independent learners and their own critics account for a developmental approach for achievement in a discipline.

Feedback ought to aim at enabling professinal to improve their future efforts. However, one often gets the impression that professionals leave organization making many of the same errors that they made when they joined.

Aha!!! Great post and I completely relate to repeatedly being for feedback. And no it wasn't only Gen Y but also Gen X seeking constant feedback. I have been seeing their requests for seeking feedback from my colored lenses rather than seeing it as their need for an opportunity to improve and become better at what they do. So when someone tells me that they weren't given enough feedback during the year (usually a refrain during annual appraisals), they perhaps are saying that they didn't get enough opportunities to improve.

Good information about what Y-ers are seeking; however, it does put the onus on the other individual to make time to provide this feedback. Once a week may not be so bad, but what if the feedback is requested (as I have experienced) every 45 minutes?

A plea from an old X-er: BEFORE you seek the knowledge from your co-workers, make sure you have exhausted every possible source of information from other sources, such as the web, current work files, the employee handbook, the original email with the request, etc. You may be surprised to find the information you are seeking was presented to you in an unexpected way already.

I think this is a great insight for Boomers and Xrs to add a little context to their daily interactions with we, the millennials of the office.

Although I think this is not a free pass for us not to make a change. I think the it's on us to figure out how to work with our elder-gen managers in a way that we get the type of feedback we want, and they get what they need out of us.

Sometimes I wish my peers realized that it is not all about them. In fact, it's not really about us at all.

Rather than constantly pestering for feedback, I'd rather glean it from the decisions and experiences of those above me. You'd be surprised what you can learn just by listening carefully. I think sometimes we just expect it all to be obvious to us - so much comes so easy, so when it's right in front of us we ask questions. That's not a problem within itself, but it doesn't seem to read well with other generations... they run the shop, so I think its our responsibility to learn the language.

I definitely agree with your sentiments on Gen Y. As a member of Generation Y, I am continually in search of new, innovative information that is applicable to my everyday life and future. I think the applicability of data and learning is a major point of discussion because what good is learning if one cannot apply what he or she learns?

I think this is an interesting article. I am a student who has not yet entered the workforce so I have no experience with different generational interpretations of feedback, but it is good to understand before I even enter the workforce the distinction between assessment/judgment feedback and feedback for the purpose of learning.

I am currently taking a class that is largely centered around the benefit of obtaining feedback from those around you for the purposes of shedding light on personal strengths and weaknesses that you may not be aware of yourself. This feedback allows you to understand yourself from the point of view of others, improve upon your weaknesses in their eyes, and emphasize your strengths.

The fact that I am taking a class so largely centered around feedback shows how much we generation Yers are being taught to value feedback and seek it often. The kind of feedback that I think this class is teaching me to seek is more the assessment/judgment kind of feedback. I can see, however, why we who have been taught to value seek feedback often have begun to use it as a learning opportunity rather than an assessment of performance. We don't need particularly frequent assessments of our performance, but we do need frequent suggestions, ideas, and input from our superiors. Thus we have changed our perception of feedback, and have begun using it for this purpose.

Being part of Generation Y, I must refute the belief that people of my generation are not searching out "judgment." Yes, we are often asking for feedback to 'learn.' But in reality, the often learning comes with criticism. Granted, this does not mean that we all like the process of feedback. If anything, receiving feedback can be one of the most challenging processes to go through. Granted, it is through feedback that we learn to grow and become stronger contributors to our organizations, groups, etc. Perhaps, our generation doesn't realize that feedback isn't simply a quick exchange of words of passing judgment. Feedback consists of the entire process of learning weaknesses, working on fixing the weaknesses, and maintaining the improvement made. It the entire process of feedback that is important.

Being part of Generation Y, I must refute the belief that people of my generation are not searching out "judgment." Yes, we are often asking for feedback to 'learn.' But in reality, the often learning comes with criticism. Granted, this does not mean that we all like the process of feedback. If anything, receiving feedback can be one of the most challenging processes to go through. Granted, it is through feedback that we learn to grow and become stronger contributors to our organizations, groups, etc. Perhaps, our generation doesn't realize that feedback isn't simply a quick exchange of words of passing judgment. Feedback consists of the entire process of learning weaknesses, working on fixing the weaknesses, and maintaining the improvement made. It the entire process of feedback that is important.

Being part of Generation Y, I must refute the belief that people of my generation are not searching out "judgment." Yes, we are often asking for feedback to 'learn.' But in reality, the often learning comes with criticism. Granted, this does not mean that we all like the process of feedback. If anything, receiving feedback can be one of the most challenging processes to go through. Granted, it is through feedback that we learn to grow and become stronger contributors to our organizations, groups, etc. Perhaps, our generation doesn't realize that feedback isn't simply a quick exchange of words of passing judgment. Feedback consists of the entire process of learning weaknesses, working on fixing the weaknesses, and maintaining the improvement made. It the entire process of feedback that is important.

I would have to agree partially that Gen Y'ers do solicit feedback in a more knowledge-seeking manner than say Baby Boomers or Gen X'ers, but does anyone really relish feedback at all times, especially when you know that what you may hear is not complimenting. I have a lot to say on this subject, particularly regarding Gen Y stereotypes (I am a Gen Y'er myself), and I thank you Ms. Erickson for dispelling the assumption that Gen Y'ers are "trophy-seekers".

However, my comment is in regards to your statement about the new beta program called Rypple. After reading your post about your reaction at the conference to participants (both Gen X & Y) I came to the following conclusion. Perhaps you were indeed slipping into the classic boomer view, as you said "rooted in judgment", but it may also be possible that the Gen Y'ers who were enthralled with the Rypple program were simply astounded by the technology. I must admit I tried the program and it is quite impressive and useful, but I, like many others, don't always seek or enjoy feedback. I would say our generation is more needy of feedback for the sake of learning (rather than judgment or assessment), but nonetheless our generation (including myself) is considered the "digital generation" or the "echo boom". We are obsessed with technology and technological innovations. So, to sum up my point, perhaps these students were not so much trying to learn from the feedback that the program provides, but were more interested in the technology and what it had to offer to society. Just a thought...

Feedbacks for the Gen Y'ers appear to be extremely significant for the rapid development of their confidence,especially for most tasks for which they are assigned.

Feeedbacks can be likened to assurances received at the confirmation and identification of every familiar signpost, Bus-stop, road crossings, when undertaking a journey for which the
destination is clear but the route is hazy and unfamiliar.

The frequency of request for a feedback from the Gen Y'ers is an indication that self-doubt exist and an early and consistent affirmation is required from their superiors (Gen X ers) until such self doubts clear.

We Gen Xers must recognize this and provide the necessary assurance, tips, furtther directives and opinions consistently, till those doubts are replaced with growing confidence in the Gen Yers.

Sometimes, It could be irritating to respond each time to frequent request for feedbacks especially extremely frequent ones, say every 45mins to 1hour (except for tasks with great hazards and severe failure-consequences).

However we need to be reassured that the call for frequent feedbacks eventually diminishes as the Gen Yers gain more confidence and adequate directives.

Although it was interesting to read about the different generation's attitude toward what feedback actually defines, I think this article misses a huge point about what Boomers and Gen Xer find difficult to deal with when it comes to Millenials in the workplace. No one has the time to provide this constant learning environment to them, nor do a lot of us feel that's our job on a day-to-day basis. A complaint I hear often from people managing Millenials is that they don't think for themselves nor try to trouble shoot the problem themselves. Their first instinct seems to be to ask how do to it without trying to learn from themselves.

I think in most industries, those who have jobs are now taking on the responsibilities of others who have been downsized, and there's barely enough hours in the day to do your own job, much less worry about the constant teaching Gen Yers feel they need--and deserve.

Ms. Erickson, I thought this post hit the nail on the head!

I am a member of Gen Y and had an internship last semester at my university in which I felt like I was "bugging" my boss when I showed up in her office door to receive feedback about some component of a task I had just completed. I really do believe that she thought I wanted praise about the work I had just finished, when the truth was that I wanted to learn how I should be doing it.

My generation is extremely interested in receiving "solicited feedback" which is tough for us to actually get because people, our bosses, who are of a different generation, are not forthright in giving such advice. We don't want to be criticized, but we want to learn how to get better and see what our bosses think of our work, as they are more qualified than us most of the time.

In class, we spoke of Johari's Window and how the "blind spot," when information about myself is unknown to me but is known to others, is a perfect opportunity for feedback - a perfect way for me to learn how I can do better. I think if the other generations realize that all we want is to get better, feedback will be more forthcoming, and we will absolutely become more knowledgeable.

Being a member of generation Y, I totally agree with your blog. I find that when I am working on large tasks, such as assignments for school or big projects for my extracurricular activities, that I like to hear feedback on how I can improve my work all throughout the process. I don't see feedback as a negative thing, although it isn't always what I want to hear. I find that feedback from people all around me that are affected by my work makes my work more successful as a whole.

I am currently a student at Vanderbilt University taking a class on Leadership Theory and Practice and we have discussed feedback in multiple classes. I have learned that the most effective feedback is 360 degree feedback where my peers as well as those above and below me assess my work. That way, its not just my professors or bosses judging what I am doing, but my friends and people under me as well.

I even practiced this in a class assignment on my own personal leadership skills and found the feedback to be very effective. I wasn't just hearing comments from people who I am close to, such as good friends and family, but people I had clashed with in group settings and other situations. The feedback I got was most helpful in that I knew that it was coming from all angles of people and I truly learned a lot about myself.

I agree with your insights about feedback for generation Y. As a member of the generation, I can speak from experience that feedback often does represent a desire to learn more. I love the idea of Rypple because it is a quick, easy way to get feedback about absolutely anything. Another way to think of feedback that Marshall Goldsmith presents in his book What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, is to think of it as “feedfoward.” Rather than focusing on what someone did wrong in the past, focus on what someone can do better on in the future. This way, feedback does not have that negative connotation of making a judgment about someone, but instead it’s a way to get ideas for the future. While none of us can change past actions, we all can change how we act in the future. Therefore changing how we think about feedback to feedfoward, allows us to stop living in the past and try to start changing how we act in the future.

As a Gen Y, I would have to completely agree with this statement. I believe that many Gen Y’s want feedback to ensure that the work that we are doing is correct, and that we are on the right track. In doing so, we can reassure ourselves and know that we are improving. I feel like one of the main reasons that we do this, is because we are the youngest generation to join the workplace. Currently, baby boomers dominate the work environment, and give us less confidence to complete our task, knowing that others know how to do it because they’ve been doing it for an extensive period of time.

I do like the idea of the Rypple because it would be a very quick way to receive feedback from others. I find that it would be particularly useful after group meetings because right after meetings are concluded, employees have their opportunity to disperse and discuss what was said in that meeting. If I were the CEO or manager conducting that meeting, I would want to know everyone’s initial reactions, to see how others felt about the topics discussed.

I’m currently in a leadership class that studies the effectiveness of feedback in teams. We have looked at articles by Goldsmith, studies on the 360 feedback, and have even conducted our own SurveyMonkey blind feedbacks to learn more about what others see as our strengths and weaknesses. After participating in this feedback, I have gained a greater self-awareness. Perhaps the difference between the Baby Boomers and the Gen Y’s is that baby boomers have not thoroughly studied the concept of feedback as we have, and therefore aren’t hooked on its ability to give us a full self-assessment.

As a fellow member of the Leadership Theory class mentioned by several of my classmates in the previous posts, I, too have had much experience with feedback these past months with several personal assessments. The first time around, I found myself drafting questions that I knew essentially knew the answer to - positive answers- because I was afraid to ask about my weaknesses out of fear of judgment. However, when I came up with the list of people to send my personal-assessment survey to, I realized that most of the people were my close friends, peers, or family, who would give me the truth only to help me improve my weaknesses. Even when I read the responses, my first response was to become defensive; but after reading and reflecting a bit, I was happy to know not only my confirmed weaknesses, but also my "blind spots" as Johari's window show. It made me much more aware, and with a desire to learn more.

I think you're right when you say that Gen Y's definition of "feedback" is really just to learn more, to be affirmed or to find spots for improvement. As long as the feedback is coming from a trusted and respected source, I think this kind of feedback is the best kind.

Tammy,

Thank you so much for writing such a great article in regards to feedback. As a Sophomore at Vanderbilt University and a member of Generation Y, I have come to view feedback over the years as a positive aspect of my work. I have not only learned this in the classroom but also in the workplace. Last summer I worked as a sales associate at Nordstrom, one of Fortune's Best 100 organization's to work for. Although I thoroughly enjoyed my time working there, my manager failed to give me the feedback I was expecting, which made me feel undervalued. I have learned that one of the reasons Generation Y embraces feedback is because we see it as a mean to attention. If your boss, coach, professor, or whatever leader it may be, is not giving you feedback, they must not expect that much from you. Nobody's perfect and there is always room for improvement, so if they are not telling you what you can improve on and giving you praise through feedback, they must not think you have the potential to reach it.

Secondly, Generation Y sees feedback an investment and motivator. When a supervisor or manager gives an employee feedback, they are furthering his or her development. Thus, employees will feel invested in the organization. This tactic is a great way to motivate employees, which is one of Daniel Goleman's five aspects of mastering emotional intelligence. It is essential to help employees find the passion to work for reasons that go beyond money or status. Feedback can serve as a motivator because it allows a leader to see what the subordinate wants to accomplish and how he or she is going to get there through the organization.

Hi Tammy,
Excellent post. Just wondering, could you break down the approx ages for Boomers/Gen X/Gen Y?

Reason: I'm sure the answer will help a lot of guys like me...who are really confused on to decide to group which we belong?

Thanks
Shesgiri Ramarao