16Reporting on Blind Spots

The Gifts of Feedback and Feedforward

Honest criticism is hard to take, particularly from a relative, a friend, an acquaintance, or a stranger.

Franklin P. Jones

Ken Blanchard is credited with labeling the word “feedback” as the “breakfast of champions.” Ken was giving us more than a clever sound bite by borrowing from the tagline from the familiar Wheaties® cereal ad. When you dissect the word into its parts—“feed” and “back”—you get the intended connotation of feedback as a tool for nurturing wisdom. Think of it as learning fuel. And given that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, the symbolism is far more significant than calling it the “supper of champions.”

How do you give feedback intended to fuel ...

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