“We are all in need of God and of one another, which leads us to practice reciprocal love, listen to each other and enjoy walking together.”
– Pope Leo XIV
The art and science of giving and receiving feedback has been a pivotal component of not only our curriculum at Catholic Leadership Institute, but also our culture. As we’ve grown, and as I’ve tried to grow as a leader, one of the things I’m constantly fighting is how not to be a bottleneck. On some days, my inbox feels like a slot machine — I pull the lever and I never know what I’m going to get or where I should start. I do my best to prioritize and give only the input or feedback that’s most urgent and important in the moment and I move on.
Last week, one of my wonderful colleagues sent me something with a quick turnaround and thankfully, as usual, it was well done and needed little more than “looks great, adjust x on page y and you’re good to go!” Or so I thought.
My colleague replied quickly, thanking me for my speed but posing a question that few seem to ask (and shamefully, I never think to answer): “Dan, thanks for the suggestion, what did you actually like about it?”
The blessed truth is that most of my colleagues do things at a consistently high quality — especially this one. The sadder truth is, outside of an earnest and consistent “atta boy,” I don’t actually tell them why in the moment. In my speed to catch what might be wrong, I neglect so much that goes right. In my quest not to have things get stuck with me, I might be keeping people stuck or at least might not be helping people realize how much more God has in store for their potential.
In our fractured, reactive, informationally-overloaded world, how often am I intentional about stopping, reflecting, and communicating to those I love, lead, and serve — not only that they did a good job but why and how they did well? Can I add a few more authentic sentences to that email or one more phrase to that text? Who can I call on the way home or can I add two more minutes to a Zoom call to give that extra bit of feedback that might not matter to the deadline, but boy, is it essential to the bottom line?
As we continue to lead into this Easter Season, let’s make sure we’re not only closing our feedback loops but also opening them up to help others hear how the Lord sees them.
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