The Power of Feedback: 35 Principles for Turning Feedback from Others into Personal and Professional Change

Foreword

In 1798, Scottish poet Robert Burns wrote:

“O wad some Power the giftie gie us To see oursels as ithers see us! It wad frae mony a blunder free us . . .”

Burns clearly saw the need for people to develop more accurate views of their behavior, because it would free them from committing many of life’s mistakes. The solution that Burns’ poem suggests, however, is for some divine Power to provide that wonderful insight. As far as I can tell, that has not been happening for the great majority of us.

I would like to believe that Burns would rejoice to learn, some 200 years later, that people are seeing the same need he saw, but they are discovering powerful and practical vehicles to make that occur, without troubling the divine, cosmic Powers to take the responsibility. Burns probably could not have envisioned the day described in the book you are about to read. He would be amazed at the practical tools that have been created to help us shrink the gap between how we’re seen and how others see us.

Some books are worthy of being recommended simply because of their subject matter. Their topic is of such import that any treatise presenting new ideas and a useful way to frame the subject would be worth the investment of time and money to read. The topic of feedback fits that description. There is no greater force to improve the quality of human relationships or improve the way organizations function than to multiply the amount and improve the quality of feedback.

Other books are ...