Building capacity: Navigating organizational opportunities as if they were a subway system

8th Annual NW Diversity Learning Series (2006)

Session Six: November 8, 2006:
Recovering from taking a wrong exit: Turning negative feedback (failure), or loss of face into a positive, capacity-building outcome.

The sixth session of the Series focused on setbacks, failure, negative feedback or loss of face in the workplace, and what employees can do to get back on a capacity-building track: regain their self-esteem and the respect and confidence of co-workers, bosses, identity group members, family or community.

Below is a tool for responding effectively to negative feedback.

A tool for responding to negative feedback - Data/Feedback/Strategy

Everyone who accepts challenge regularly encounters difficulty. Only those with well-developed tools for handling difficulty can "stay in the game." Responding effectively to difficulty accelerates learning.

The Data/Feedback/Strategy method is your tool for handling difficulty and failure. In this exercise, you will apply the D/F/S method to a current situation.

1. 1. Identify a project or assignment where you are experiencing significant difficulty or failure.
2. 2. Describe the situation in detail:
3. 3. Describe your emotions about the situation and the emotions of others who might be involved:

1. Identify the DATA

What is the standard for success? How are you doing compared to that standard?

2. Give yourself FEEDBACK

What are you doing well? (Think about it. There has to be at least some things you are doing well.)

Where do you think your actions are falling short? Identify as many aspects or elements as you can of the situation, or yourself, that may be contributing to your difficulties.

What must you work on to improve? What are the key, strategic drivers for improvement?

What must you do differently or better? What knowledge or skills can you add that will substantially improve your prospects for turning the situation around now, or the next time you try something similar?

What emotions, in yourself or others, do you need to manage to get a better outcome next time?

3. Develop a STRATEGY

Using the feedback you identified in #2, develop a plan to achieve a better outcome.

Define your general approach for improvement. What will you actually do to achieve a better outcome?

If new knowledge or better skills are needed, how will you go about acquiring them?

What obstacles might you encounter? How would you manage them?

Michael Hyter, President and CEO of Novations Group, Boston, MA, was the presenter for the November 8, 2006 session of the Northwest Diversity Learning Series in Seattle, Washington on the topic of turning negative feedback (failure), or loss of face into a positive, capacity-building outcome.

The 2006 NW Diversity Learning Series (now in its 9th year) focused on the theme, Building Capacity: Navigating organizational opportunities as if they were a subway system.

Using the metaphor of a subway system, each of the six-bi-monthly morning seminars explored some of the ways that access to organizational opportunities and career development are hidden and therefore more difficult for women and people of color, as well as people who speak English as a second language, to utilize. The purpose of this Series was for everyone to become more aware of organizational culture and how it impacts building people's capacity, and for everyone, managers and employees, to become better at navigating these cultural obstacles along career paths.

For more information about the NW Diversity Learning Series, please visit the Series section of our website.

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