Are you a critic or an innovator?

I wrote last week about getting feedback from others and things to consider when receiving feedback from others.  The question I left you to ponder was this: When you GIVE feedback to others who are you?

So, someone sends you an email draft or a letter they are intending to send to someone else….what is your natural reaction?  Do, you find all the things that wrong with it, editing every English faux pas and telling them all the things that are wrong with it?

This feedback is certainly valuable to the recipient….intended from you I am sure with great sincerity to help them to improve their product.  And I am sure that your corrections are accurate and will improve the product.

But, have you really aided in the creation process….joined your friend in the innovation process to help them produce their best product which will maximize the impact that they are striving for?

Are you a critic or are you an innovator?

I was reminded by some strong scientific colleagues years ago that being a critic is NOT all bad.  It is a part of the normal process of scientific and engineering invention that scientists put their inventions out to other technical minds to critique…..and in fact, the challenge is for the other scientists to find any possible holes or failings that might exist in the invention.  Frankly, we need this process with key technical and scientific discoveries in our world for our health, our safety, and even our enjoyment of the latest electronic gadgets….right?

However, criticism without useful suggestion can leave an inventor, a writer, a coach, a friend with frustration and lack of success.

I had another colleague who was working on a project with me.  He was known to come to meetings and point all the reasons that a certain tact or strategy would not work and because of his status, he would leave a group floundering with much discussion and little action. I could not determine if this colleague just wanted to shirk the accountability of helping find a solution or if was just accustomed to offering critique without suggestion.

I decided to try to change this situation with our project.  Each time my colleague expressed that something would not work,  I IMMEDIATELY asked him for a suggestion of what WOULD work in his opinion.  I must say that it was successful…..we were able to move forward with a set of strategies and tacts that were a creation of the team effort AND were properly vetted critically to best ensure success.

So, back to you.  When you help others, do you exclusively tell them what is wrong, or do you suggest what might improve the work product?

Are you a critic, an innovator, or a little of both?  Who do you want to be?

Barb

9-11-08