Share feedback to your leader

A few months ago, I made an interesting experience. We were on one of the management training and there was an exercise to give feedback to your peer, direct report, and also to your manager. Our group was mixed - managers who just got their first team of 3 to senior managers, who were leading their teams for decades.

The group was doing well in giving feedbacks to the subordinates, also giving feedback to our peers was good. But when we acted as if we're giving feedback to our manager, the look'n'feel was completely different. There was a large amount of unnecessary respect (based on the scenarios, our fictive bosses were really idiots). Simple sentence 'I don't think this is a good idea, because ...' took us two whole paragraphs. And this behavior was mutual for everyone - fresh as well as experienced leaders.

I thought - hey, that's interesting. Why are we able to tell our teams where we think they are doing mistake, but we can't do this to our supervisors. We, as experienced managers, knowing all the tricks on how to provide feedback.

Not surprisingly, even my team was acting unnecessarily politely to me when I was going to make a mistake. Although we were cooperating for quite a long time and I believe I've never punished anyone for feedback, there was a visible difference between the feedback they were providing to their peers and to me.

Several weeks later, I've changed my job and I become to report directly to CEO. Besides all the other things, I've realized how much I miss the opportunity to hear straight and direct feedback regularly. Feedback - or just gossip - pointing to what I'm doing and changing within the department I'm responsible for and feedback from the department at the same time.

Yet again. If your manager is not willing to listen, or even punishes you for your opinion, you should leave that manager. I believe any leader being fresh in his position is desperate for feedback. Especially when you are the only person to provide it.