“The leader of the past was a person who knew how to tell. The leader of the future will be the person who knows how to ask.“~ Peter Drucker

The session, Giving & Receiving Constructive Feedback facilitated by Nahu S. Girma, Founder & Director at AWiB began with a critical view of the word “Constructive” and the idea that the feedback that we label as negative is crucial for our improvement and growth. Diving straight into the topic’s practical lessons, the next concept raised was how asking questions and being honest with oneself play important roles in giving and receiving feedback intentionally with the objective of improvement. 

This reflective session was very interactive, and participants shared their stories of challenges & triumphs when it comes to feedback. From relationships with our families to professional performance appraisals, the art of giving and receiving constructive feedback was explored with the guidance of the facilitator. 

As the benefits of feedback were being discussed, the concept that gave an aha moment to many was “Without feedback, mistakes cannot be corrected”. This concept revealed that we all have the responsibility to give and receive feedback. From the discussions, we were all aware that many of us are afraid of feedback, which led to an important discussion. One question raised to get a deeper understanding of our fears was, “If we confront the things and people we are running from, what is the worst thing that could happen?”. This led to a deep reflection and discussion among participants. 

Major takeaways: 

• Timing, tone, & Emotional awareness are crucial when giving & receiving feedback 
• Feedback always needs to have an objective.
• Building trust and setting a safe space are important 
• Effective navigation of conflicts begins when we learn how to communicate to influence 
• Feedback is about open communication 
• Getting feedback is taking responsibility for your performance 
• Feedback must be FAIR – Focused, Accurate, Informative, & Recent
• When it comes to performance appraisal, recording your accomplishments and knowing your worth are important

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