Feedback: More Thoughts

The Feedback Gallery on Canvas is a great resource for comparing the types of feedback that is most productive for the purposes of this class. I find myself (1) asking questions and (2) showing appreciation for the details most often. Incorporating specific suggestions and helping my peers re-evaluate their work for weaknesses are things I will have to start trying in the weeks to come since I am doing my assignments all out of order and thus have completed all my comments for the week. I think I am a better reader than I am a writer but like they say, teaching is learning. By pointing out what could be improved in another’s writing, maybe and hopefully it will translate into my own work.

“Why Do So Many Managers Avoid Giving Praise?” by Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman

I had a boss who was held in contempt by my coworkers who hated his proclivity for “micro-managing.” Some people felt he was “picking on them,” but he was a prime example of a leader rather than a boss. While it was easy to befriend the easy-going supervisor that wanted to befriend everyone, I was more compelled to earn the favor of the hard-headed and harder-to-please boss since his praise held more weight. Not only was there never a job he wasn’t willing to show you how to do himself, there was something special about getting even a half-positive evaluation from him. What Zenger and Folkman said in this article about people being worried about coming down on their employees too hard, it makes me realize the motivation behind my two bosses’ styles was the same— they wanted respect. Like the authors said of other managers self-assessments, some who felt “they just wanted to get it over quickly” and “they don’t pay me enough to do this job,” don’t want to be invested in a real way because they seem to not want to make enemies. In my experience, those who don’t care about a job would take personally and project back any criticism from a boss with a bad review. However, to earn due respect some balance must be had between busting butts and giving passes.

“The Trouble with “Amazing”: Giving Praise that Matters” by Jennifer Gonzalez

I’m glad I selected this article addressing the problems with unnecessarily hyperbolic praise. As an unapologetic people-pleaser, I am super guilty of using insincere superlative language when speaking to others. As a sensitive, insecure person by nature, I have an innate reflex of sparing others’ feelings in a way I would wish for myself. The story she shared at the start about her disingenuously peppy substitute instructor was so real and relatable. No one wants to be patronized by some pretentious, condescending person who can’t disguise their feelings of superiority when providing feedback. I liked Gonzalez’s point that constructive advice is somewhere between “Paula” praise and Simon Cowell criticism, for those familiar with the singing competition American Idol. To avoid “fluffy” feedback, Gonzalez says adopting more specific and actionable suggestions is often a springboard enough for a person to come away from a critique with something practical to put to practice the next time. This makes me reflect on my most memorable and admirable teachers since now I feel compelled to psychoanalyze them—were they prone to empty compliments? From what I can recall, my very favorite teacher was a bit of a flatterer but would conference with his students individually to edit papers which was always an anxious event since this was when he would pick apart your work and make you re-write it. My ceramics teacher, too, was what the kids today would call “savage.” We only had one wheel for throwing pots at our small, under-funded school which was for special projects—I earned this place with my declaration that I would attempt to make a thimble (the finger/thumb cover to prevent pricking yourself with the needle while sewing). Who knew this tiny thing would be so hard to make? With every attempt, my teacher would smash it and make me remake it over and over until I made a perfectly proportioned little cup for finger protection! Somehow, impressing him after several tries gave me more pride than had he accepted my first.

(Image Source: Pixabay Stock Photos)

Leave a Comment Feedback, Week 3

Feedback Thoughts: An Appetizer for the Course

This assignment to do with feedback is a good appetizer to the course, pun intended. In fact, that is why I was compelled to complete this activity before “brainstorming for storybooks”—it seemed a good warm-up to think about the intersecting constellation of self-analysis, mistakes, and learning that goes into creative work. I also realized how so much of what I read from the articles I analyzed below related to the structure and teaching style of this nonconventional class. I am a strong advocate for mistakes as a catalyst for growth. My senior quote, in fact, was from a favorite non-fiction author of mine named Augusten Burroughs who makes memoirs about his life (literally self-reflection made available to a public market as a work of creative writing): “I, myself, am made entirely of flaws, stitched together with good intentions.” I think I was greatly influenced by reading memoirs and other forms of nonfiction to embrace the beautiful variety of people’s lives. I think there is nothing more valuable to success or happiness than being both mindful and grateful for mistakes. As a class reliant on creativity, having self-awareness (in such a way that is in no way sabotaged by self-criticism, the obsession of perfection, or comparison) is a major component to success. The articles I chose below address how merciful self-analysis goes hand in hand with the tyrant of self-criticism that curbs creative enthusiasm. Learning how to help others cultivate this awareness involves feedback, so learning tips to participate in their process of making mistakes, learning, and creating in the most impactful, positive way is important.

“A Simple 5-Second Habit to Rewire Your HarshlySelf-Critical Brain” by Joel Almeida

I appreciate the prescriptive approach Almeida took in his article advertising the effects of a technique he calls “REBS” on mental health. “REBS,” or reality-based self-congratulation, is a ritual that when put to practice can transform your brain to be more positive and resilient in the midst of motivation fluctuation and minor setbacks. I love the idea of giving yourself grace when you’re not firing on all cylinders and celebrating the small stuff. The science behind self-care is essentially a maintenance plan to prevent rather than treat stress. His linked page of “45 Simple Self-Care Practices for a Healthy Mind, Body, and Soul” has 15 fixes for each aspect of our selves that need TLC to function at full capacity. It includes advice to punctuate your day with purposeful intersessions to bring balance back into a life made perpetually unstable due to society-driven priorities that put ourselves into disrepair. Some of my favorites include “activate [a] self-soothing system” for a body experiencing sensory overload, “use your commute for a “beauty scavenger hunt”” for a soul that is present and appreciative of all that is good around us, and to “pay complete attention to something you usually do on autopilot” to exercise a mind so often focused on too many things simultaneously. The author analyzes the figures to find a solution to silence the callus self-critic inside all of us. Some might see his method of REBS as a sort of stick and carrot cliché, but there is something psychologically and physiologically repairing about this sort of sympathetic pep-talk he promotes. It helps that Almeida not only uses himself and his healthy eating endeavor as an example, but he also dedicates the whole last half of the article on how to apply REBS to a variety of situations whether you’re a professional with a lot on their plate or just a person trying to improve their life one step at a time. The payoff of his method? “Instead of brooding over setbacks, you begin treating each setback as a springboard for small helpful steps, accompanied by self-congratulation,” someone with compassion for themselves establishes mechanisms of coping with and overcoming inopportune realities for more positive outcomes.

“Seven Ways to Crush Self-Doubt in Creative Work” by John Spencer

Everyone is uncomfortable in an unfamiliar environment, and it’s hard to be our best as a beginner in any context. Author John Spencer speaks about the complexities of self-doubt and its crippling effects on levels of confidence and by extension, execution of tasks made exponentially harder or impossible thanks to insecurity. Spencer does not boast as a professional, but his advice as an amateur is just as valuable as someone speaking from a level of comradery. He talks about how losing sight of our personal abilities and achievements is often spurred by comparison to others’ related skills and thus curbs creative freedom. Also, he voices his opinion of perfectionism as an overrated enterprise. Striving for an illusion of perfection drains the thrill of the wonderfully imperfect process of improvement. His observation that vulnerability is an asset denied by many made me realize how being passive to others about the truth of our feelings or situations only cheapens our relationships. So many of us are unwilling to meet each other in our depths, preferring relationships that never pass the surface. As social creatures, making ourselves recluses seems silly and sad and seems to serve no purpose. I love the attention he put on the concept of growth mindset we have already addressed and setting goals that are realistic and personally fulfilling. He also talks about the difficulties of bringing an air of experimentation to places strict and standardized. All of his ideas are so forward-thinking and encouraging. It seems that at the core, his advice could be narrowed down to something along the lines of letting your identity lead the way. I find it hard to believe that with his advice as an arsenal that anyone could suffer from self-doubt.

(My own mug features a quote quite appropriate for the topic of discussion; Image Source: Personal Photo)

Leave a Comment Feedback, Week 2