The Power of Feedback: 35 Principles for Turning Feedback from Others into Personal and Professional Change [Hardcover]

Joseph R. Folkman (Author), John H. Zenger (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 19, 2006

Praise for The Power of Feedback


"Some books are worthy of being recommended simply because of their subject matter. . . . There is no greater force to improve the quality of human relationships or improve the way organizations function than to multiply the amount and improve the quality of feedback."

"Other books are worthy of being recommended . . . when an author takes an otherwise abstract, obtuse subject and turns it into an actionable, practical set of things to do. Joe Folkman has accomplished that task . . . helping individuals and organizations to develop feedback-rich environments . . . [and] change through the use of a variety of surveys and feed?-back instruments. He has made this topic highly engaging and accessible."

"So, here you have the best of everything--an important topic; a talented, entertaining, and highly qualified author; content that is practical; and a text written in an easily comprehended manner. Enjoy."
--From the Foreword by John H. "Jack" Zenger

"Joe Folkman has years of experience and miles of wisdom from coaching and training high-performance organizations. He speaks truth: change is hard. But feedback can be very powerful if the receiver makes the commitment to lasting change. Folkman has scored a home run with The Power of Feedback."
--Maria Nalywayko Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Fremont Investment & Loan

"Most of us are clueless when it comes to providing feedback. But now, thanks to Joe Folkman's The Power of Feedback, we have a road map for turning the feedback we receive into lasting and profound change."
--Jeffrey Gill Director of Organization Capability, The Coca-Cola Company

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

The process of review and feedback is common in most organizations. At one time or another, we will all likely receive feedback on our professional performance. But, unfortunately, most organizations and individuals don't know how to use the feedback they receive to improve their performance. As a result, nothing ever changes. The quality of feedback isn't the problem; it's what we do with it that counts.

For business leaders and their organizations, as well as professionals in any industry, listening to and acting on feedback is the best and most effective way to become more competent, capable, and effective. In The Power of Feedback, performance specialist Joseph Folkman presents thirty-five principles that help people and organizations turn feedback into real, effective, and long-term change. He shows you how to determine which feedback instruments will work for you and how to make the best use of their results.

Based on his many years consulting with thousands of business leaders and professionals around the world, Folkman shows how highly effective people use feedback differently than the rest of us. Rather than focusing on the negatives feedback reveals, the most effective people focus instead on the positives feedback uncovers. They use feedback to discover their professional strengths, increase their skills, and turn their strengths into long-term advantages. After all, the most successful people don't do everything well; they do a few things very well. That's the true power of feedback.

The thirty-five principles in this book are practical tools you can use to maximize the value of the feedback you receive. Together, they'll put you on the right track for positive change, showing you how to understand the feedback you receive, accept it with the proper attitude, prioritize your efforts, and make the long-term changes that lead to real improvement.

When you put these principles to work in your professional life or in your organization, you'll discover what a powerful and meaningful gift feedback can be. Whether you're a human resources leader who wants to get the most out of your performance review system or a professional who needs practical help improving your performance, The Power of Feedback will show you the way.

From the Back Cover

Praise for The Power of Feedback

"Some books are worthy of being recommended simply because of their subject matter. . . . There is no greater force to improve the quality of human relationships or improve the way organizations function than to multiply the amount and improve the quality of feedback."

"Other books are worthy of being recommended . . . when an author takes an otherwise abstract, obtuse subject and turns it into an actionable, practical set of things to do. Joe Folkman has accomplished that task . . . helping individuals and organizations to develop feedback-rich environments . . . [and] change through the use of a variety of surveys and feed?-back instruments. He has made this topic highly engaging and accessible."

"So, here you have the best of everything—an important topic; a talented, entertaining, and highly qualified author; content that is practical; and a text written in an easily comprehended manner. Enjoy."
—From the Foreword by John H. "Jack" Zenger

"Joe Folkman has years of experience and miles of wisdom from coaching and training high-performance organizations. He speaks truth: change is hard. But feedback can be very powerful if the receiver makes the commitment to lasting change. Folkman has scored a home run with The Power of Feedback."
—Maria Nalywayko Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Fremont Investment & Loan

"Most of us are clueless when it comes to providing feedback. But now, thanks to Joe Folkman's The Power of Feedback, we have a road map for turning the feedback we receive into lasting and profound change."
—Jeffrey Gill Director of Organization Capability, The Coca-Cola Company

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (May 19, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471998206
• ISBN-13: 978-0471998204
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #706,103 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars underscores the tremendous value of feedback for those willing to accept it, January 11, 2009

By 

Carol C. "ccjello" (Kansas City, MO USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Power of Feedback: 35 Principles for Turning Feedback from Others into Personal and Professional Change (Hardcover)

What sends shivers of dread throughout the workplace more than knowing it's annual performance review time, when every failure is revisited and every flaw magnified? What about the dreaded 360 degree review, where one gets to face the criticism not only from the boss, but also from one's peers and subordinates? Ugh.

In this book, Folkman wants us to shift that paradigm by recognizing feedback, properly given, as one of the best gifts we can receive in the workplace. We need to accept feedback as a gift that it is and use that gift in shaping our future conduct.

The book is organized around a discussion of 35 principles, divided into nine chapters. I found the organization and the 35 principles to be a tad cumbersome -- so I'll focus on what I sensed were the main points. The first part of the book focuses on overcoming resistance to feedback. There were plenty of examples of individuals rejecting, rationalizing, attempting to explain away negative feedback instead of accepting and trying to understand it. Folkman encourages us to focus on the "pull" of feedback rather than the "push". The "push" is looking at the feedback as negative, as a horrible flaw that someone else is making us fix. The "pull" is looking at the opportunities and benefit that will derive to us if we fix the flaw. An easy example -- the doctor says you ought to lose weight. "Push" thinking is -- I can't anything good; I just get these small portions of bland veggies. This is torture. "Pull" thinking is -- this is great; I get to eat all of this healtful, nutritious food, I'm learning about portion control, and in a few months, all of those too-tight clothes in the back of my closet will look great on me, not to mention, my blood pressure will come down. This diet is really my ticket to a longer, happier life." Likewise, if someone can accept feedback as an opportunity to help pull them to greater career success rather than simply criticism, the value becomes apparent.

In addition to the discussion of overcoming resistance and learning to appreciate feedback as a gift, Folkman discusses how best to use the feedback as a development tool. Interestingly, Folkman suggests that unless feedback has identified what he calls a "fatal flaw," which obviously demands immediate attention, we are generally better served by trying to improve our strengths rather than trying to improve our weaknesses. Not a large percentage of folks have "fatal flaws" -- most of us are good at some things and less good at others. Folkman convincingly explains why we should focus on improving what we're already good at rather than improving areas of mediocrity.

Folkman recognizes that change is difficult, and it only occurs when the person wants to change (thus the importance of focusing on the pull rather than the push). Folkman discusses "companion behaviors" -- if one behavior is particularly difficult to change, work on certain collateral behaviors and as a first step.

One note -- if there is not undelying trust, the feedback process is much less valuable as a tool for improvement.

Overall, I liked the book and think it would be valuable for anyone preparing to deliver or receive a feedback session. It relied on research from "Gene Dalton, Louis Barnes, and Abraham Zalzenik" throughout the text; it would have been more compelling if the research were from multiple sources.