Feedback

Around this time of year many companies begin to do their mid-year reviews. Employees are asked to self-assess their performance and to write up their accomplishments so far. I think the whole thing is hokey but nonetheless, I do it. It’s a good time to reflect on what you have done, what else needs to be done and why you aren’t doing certain things. I get the point of it but it’s still one of those administrative things full of sound and fury signifying nothing.


In my company we have to list about our 3 strengths and opportunities (they are trying to be politically correct and not say weaknesses but I think we all know what opportunities mean) in our assessment as well. A number of years ago a manager listed one of my opportunities as needing to speak more. This wasn’t to say I was mute; she just felt that I had lots of good ideas but that I wouldn’t share them. (The real reason I didn’t speak up is actually another story which I will have to discuss in another entry.)

After getting that comment, I did begin to speak up more in meetings and on conference calls but not to the point where I took over the conversation (mostly because that’s just not my style). I enjoy listening to what other people say over listening to myself speak. But I’m probably a rarity in my field.

For instance there was one person on my extended team a couple of months ago, who just sat on my nerves and plucked at them. He had to talk and talk in every meeting. At least 15 minutes of every meeting was filled with him chattering on. I really wanted to inflict pain on myself whenever he talked just to have a legitimate excuse to leave the room or the call so I wouldn’t have to hear him. After weeks of this incessant blabbering, I actually asked my boss if mr. blabber would be given an opportunity of ‘learning when to shut his trap’ on his mid-year review. Of course my boss laughed but defended him in saying “he has a lot of good things to say”. I told my boss that the emphasis should be on ‘a lot’. I thought we were being rated on concise speech? If a woman had spoken this much, I’m sure someone would have pulled her aside and told her to shut up. I was pretty sure that this guy would never hear that his useless drivel (because really a lot of it was hot air) was literally making people’s ears bleed.

The point in my bringing this up is that if you aren’t really going to give people constructive criticism, what’s the point in all this silly feedback formality. I could not have been the only one who complained about this guy talking people to death. Obviously if my boss laughed at it, there had to be truth in my comment. But where I was being told to speak up, I wonder if anyone was telling him to speak down!

Luckily I don’t have to listen to him anymore. Otherwise, I’d have a special set of noise canceling ear plugs made to shut out his ridiculous clamoring.