Can You Handle The Truth? - [website] Published: 3rd of May 2011 by: (c) Staff Training Reporter
Seeking positive feedback is a great way to boost self-confidence, but...
... the result of seeking only positive feedback can have very negative effects on how people perceive you.
In fact, people who constantly seek only positive feedback actually give the impression of being insecure and in constant need of validation.
The same, and perhaps worse, can be said for managers. Managers who avoid asking for criticism from their peers give the impression of being unable to handle negative feedback, while those who tend to withhold bad news and make a fuss about good news give an unbalanced picture of how things really are.
Ironically, the reason many managers avoid asking for negative feedback is that they don't want to appear unsure of themselves, and in the process, they do.
The real problem with constantly seeking appraisal, however, is not the outward affect it has on how people may perceive you, but rather that there is nothing to be learned from it.
People who actively seek negative feedback as well as good have a far greater opportunity to learn and improve on themselves than those who don't, while also giving a far more positive impression than their counterparts.
It just goes to show that even though all you may hear and ask for is good news, the negative criticism and perception that's out there becomes more pronounced when it’s not actively sought.
