You will have seen on the web site that my first book on Straight Talk was published recently. As I went to buy the Sunday newspaper in which a review of the book had been published, I reflected on feedback and how a review of a book is actually performance feedback.
I felt excited, and a bit apprehensive, as I mused on how it felt to receive feedback in writing and in public; feedback where there was no consultation or communication with me before it was made public. I’m not complaining. It’s part of the process of writing a book. If you’re lucky it gets reviews, and if you’re lucky some are positive. But it’s scary stuff!
Then I watched the TV debates as part of the run up to the British elections, listened to the commentary afterwards and read the newspapers the following day. I thought of performers such as musicians, and actors. They receive feedback in the form of audience applause, newspaper and magazine reviews, and longer term from the purchase of CDs and DVDs, concert and theatre seats.
I wondered how sportsmen and women feel when their successes and failures are splashed across sports pages and TV screens. I imagined how it would feel to be a celebrity figure whose every step – and misstep – is performed under public and critical scrutiny.
And I decided that receiving feedback from one’s manager in a corporate environment is not nearly as bad as many of us think!
Sunday Times book review http://www.timeslive.co.za/business/careers/article416821.ece/How-to-handle-difficult-office-issues
May 30th, 2010 at 2:05 pm
Hi, Maureen. I came across the review, and read it with great interest. Congratualtions to the author - may you continue to thrive.
Love
Anne
November 9th, 2011 at 6:53 am
Its like you read my mind! You seem to know a lot about this, like you wrote the book in it or something. I think that you can do with some pics to drive the message home a bit, but instead of that, this is fantastic blog. A fantastic read. I will certainly be back.