How to give a senior leader feedback (without getting fired) | Hacker News Reader

How to give a senior leader feedback (without getting fired)

newsletter.weskao.com

3 pointsspeter4 comments

I remember, as a lowly ICT4 at Apple about 18 years ago, getting very frustrated by meeting after meeting with the director vacillating between option-A and option-B. This was costing us a huge amount of time and no progress was being made aAs we flip-flopped between approaches. Halfway through another fruitless meeting I couldn’t take it any more, and just said “Nik. Director. Direction”. Stunned silence around the table, he got flustered and the meeting ended, but after that we stuck with the current POR.

Afterwards, one of the other guys in the team couldn’t believe I’d said that and got away with it, but a British accent goes a long way in corporate America. Surprisingly so, actually.

All these years later, I’m about to leave Apple (for personal reasons) at the end of the year. So, didn’t get fired :) still, this is exactly what the article is recommending against… I didn’t make a habit of it…

British accents didn't go so far in the Royal Navy.

As I understand it, "Round Robin" comes from the practice of sailors signing feedback documents in a circle, so their officers couldn't tell who had signed first: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Round-robin_(document)

Well, no, clearly :)

It’s being different that gives the edge. Of course edges and precipices can have their own dangers too…

[BAD] “The team needs clearer priorities.”

[GOOD] “The team made amazing progress when we all focused on the website update last month. It might help to have one or two clear priorities for the team this month that everyone can rally behind.”

Are people really that timid and obsequious, these days? I see no problem at all with the "bad" snippet, and would hate to find myself in an environment were people were constantly walking on eggshells, and perpetually afraid just to tell their senior team members that 2+2=4, as demonstrated by the "good" snippet.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com