We all talk: sometimes to particular persons; sometimes to anyone who will listen; and sometimes to ourselves when we can’t find anyone to listen. In this blog, however, we’re only interested in a certain kind of talk: conversation--and just conversation within the business context. Indeed, we believe business conversation, whether face-to-face, or in texts and emails, is a unique technology made necessary by the knowledge economy. So the old saw, “stop talking and go to work,” is now outdated and obsolete.
Why Is It So Tough To Get Useful Feedback?
June 24, 2025
In an enlightening conversation with a 28 year-old digital finance employee, he wanted to understand why it's so difficult to get useful--read, developmental--feedback. Perhaps more than any generation, today's young men and women have brought the need for feedback to the fore. Yet, again and again in various professional settings, I meet employees of all generations who are asking for more feedback, but not getting what they want.
Feedback is terrifically important. There are plenty of studies showing that it''s nearly impossible to learn and grow without constructive feedback.
Reflecting on that issue, I was reminded of an article by Jim Heskett of Harvard Business School on what to me is a related subject: 'Why don't managers think deeply?'
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