As you move higher in leadership, you’ll discover that you and your peers more often have greater differences of opinion and perspective, and those differences can lead to conflict. Ignoring that conflict can be unhealthy – both personally to you and professionally to the organization.
But how do you address your differences without damaging your relationships?
One part of the solution is knowing when your feedback to someone else should be public and when it should be private.
Decisions relating public vs. private conversation are often left to personal preference, but there are some helpful guidelines to consider to help you make the most of your peer-to-peer feedback.
Consider giving your feedback publicly when…
🔵 Your feedback is positive.
🔵 There is a dedicated forum designed to solicit the specific feedback you have to share — such as a “post-mortem”.
🔵 When the feedback applies broadly to multiple peers so no one feels singled out.
🔵 You are confident that your delivery of the feedback will not be perceived as an attack.
Consider giving your feedback privately when…
🔵 The feedback topic might be sensitive to the recipient.
🔵 A difference in status may frame the feedback as an attack on authority or credibility.
🔵 The feedback is unexpected or the recipient may not be prepared for it.
🔵 When your grasp of the situation is tentative, and you need to listen to understand first.
Giving peer feedback can be a one of the more challenging events for a growing leader. If you’d like to explore your situation further, let’s talk. Visit stevedwire.com/talk to start the conversation.
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