At StarkSouk, we believe that feedback is essential to continuous improvement and successful collaboration. To foster a productive and positive work environment, we follow key principles when giving and receiving feedback.

What is Good Feedback?

Good feedback comes from a place of believing in your partner’s potential and aiming to help them achieve their best. Here’s how to provide quality feedback:

• Be Honest and Direct: People appreciate candidness. If the message is being diluted by excessive politeness or disclaimers, simplify it. State the core issue clearly and ensure intellectual honesty.
• Align on the Problem First: Often, resistance to solutions stems from a misunderstanding of the problem. Make sure everyone fully grasps the issue before proposing solutions.
• Choose the Right Medium: Email is suitable for most communications, but sensitive or controversial topics are better discussed in person or through video conferencing. Give participants time to prepare for such discussions to avoid overwhelming them.
• Timely Feedback: Share your thoughts when they can be most useful to the recipient, rather than waiting for a formal review. Feedback should be an integral part of daily interactions.
• Positive Feedback is Powerful: High-performing teams share nearly six times more positive feedback than average teams. Focus on strengths and use praise to open the recipient to new ideas.
• Be Specific in Your Praise: When acknowledging good work, be explicit about what was done well. This prevents misunderstandings and helps reinforce the correct behaviors.

What is Bad Feedback?

Bad feedback focuses on the person rather than the action, which can damage relationships and hinder growth. Effective feedback should always address behavior and outcomes, not personal characteristics.

• Avoid Personal Criticism: Criticize actions, not individuals. This keeps the feedback constructive and solution-focused.
• Don’t Be Vague: Ambiguous or unclear feedback serves no purpose. Provide concrete examples and actionable suggestions so that the recipient knows how to improve.
• Don’t Over-prescribe Solutions: Instead of telling someone exactly how to fix an issue, ask questions that encourage reflection. This approach fosters deeper learning and promotes creativity.

Key Principles

• Have open, direct conversations.
• Be clear and specific about issues and praise.
• Be open to different perspectives.
• Embrace constructive conflict—it's often the path to the best solutions.