Published: 09/08/2015

I’ve been told I’m one of the most coachable employee’s by one my most recent managers. The reason why is because I’m open to constructive feedback about anything. Think my coding sucks because of xyz? Great, whats the impact to the business and my team? I’ll change it. Does my code suck because you didn’t write it? Get lost, pal.

When you’re giving feedback to someone please don’t do any of the following:

  1. Make it personal. Don’t tell them their teeth are ugly or they smell. Don’t call them names. Start with the perspective of, “What if I were getting this feedback?”
  2. Point out the problem and let them figure out the solution. This isn’t college any more man, I want to know whats wrong, why and how we can fix it together.
  3. Turn it into a hate fueled attack.

What is helpful feedback? Helpful feedback is:

  1. Not personal. I’m not attacking you, I’m helping you improve so that you can reach your full potential.
  2. The topic can be personal, with the right context approach. Sandwiching feedback is one, (good bad good)
  3. Be as constructive as possible. Instead of saying “Your code sucks”, say “Your code would be more maintainable if you did x,y,z.”

The goal of feedback should always be to help your teammate or friend improve so you can move the group forward without offending them or hurting their feelings.