This post is based on a system I created during my time at Blizzard Entertainment in the Design Ops & People Coordinator role. For those purposes I broke down 9 larger categories of workers into 4 simpler ones. I rethought the words used to refer to each group, so it was safe for employees and managers to use (whereas a lot of research I saw online was manager focused and a bit derogatory towards employees) and created a Figjam template for anyone to use as a quiz; with simple badges to customize when finished as a method of sharing results with each other.
The four categories are:
- Feedback Response
- Feedback Bias
- Personal Ethos
- Personal Outlook
The response & bias apply to how we structure a discussion; managers control the levers that impact those two sections directly. The ethos & outlook is what we each control internally… mangers can impact these sections indirectly by catering to preferred methods of feedback and carefully thinking through an approach ahead of time.
Feedback Response:
- Active — these folks will immediately engage with you during the initial conversation.
- Passive — they need time to process what they’ve heard before discussion can happen.
Feedback Bias:
- Improvers — looking to grow, wants feedback, little-to-no ego about their work.
- Defenders — confident, judge feedback based on the source, proud of their work.
Personal Ethos:
- Loyalty — values emotional connection / commitment to people or places.
- Honesty — values factual & objective truth, less focused on the people or places.
Personal Outlook:
- Optimist — assumes the best of people, views feedback as positive by nature.
- Skeptic — wary of other people’s motives, views feedback as negative by nature.
(Or, use this Figjam template to find your own feedback and personality styles.)
So, how do we use this? Well, it’s not “simple” per se, but it does help us quickly gauge a person’s response and adjust accordingly.
Within Our Control
We may see someone as being an intimidator during past calls, but this may come down to the fact they’re Passive Defenders and those “intimidation tactics” are a learned defense mechanism used to buy thinking time on the fly.
If we structure their feedback differently (e.g.: like sending them an email copy of their feedback before the call) they might come as a different version of themselves due to the extra time; our view of them after that call may align more with what we consider an Active Improver.
This is what we mean about the levers we control as managers. Knowing who needs to prepare and who wants to just chat it out can make all the difference.
Outside Our Control
What we can’t control (or make a lot of difference in) is a person’s outlook & ethos. We don’t know their background or why they hold their particular set of views, but it may be due to discrimination or other harmful behavior done by teachers, coaches, and/or managers. Self-preservation is a personal issue, not something a manager can solve for their employees.
So, when dealing with an Honest Skeptic, it may not help to anonymize feedback since those details are vital to their understanding and ability to make it actionable. However, we also don’t want them to hold a grudge or confront someone about their feedback when it’s inappropriate. That same anonymous feedback, if given to any sort of Optimist, may view it in good faith and as applicable to any team.
Knowing who we work with on even a small personal level can help a working relationship in major ways and that’s the root of the HR effort to enable our folks to “bring your whole self to work.”
Recommendations (by type)
Based on the types, there are some easy ways to make adjustments that should help these career discussions go a lot more smoothly for everyone involved. Obviously, these aren’t rules but ideas to help you have the conversations that can feel very awkward at times.
Feedback Response:
| Active | Passive |
| Read through the feedback together, on the call, and annotate it collaboratively. | Send the feedback to them before the call and annotate it asynchronously. |
Feedback Bias:
| Improver | Defender |
| Work through specific examples and help them brainstorm alternative solutions. | Generalize the problem and work in hypotheticals to keep things simpler. |
Personal Ethos:
| Loyalty | Honesty |
| Soften the edges of critique a bit. Work within the compliment sandwich model. | Give it to them straight. Worry a bit less about anonymizing / obscuring feedback. |
Personal Outlook:
| Optimist | Skeptic |
| Help them understand the larger context of how small issues can create larger ripples we are unaware of at the time. | Reinforce these discussions are coming from a place of good intentions and are a way to help them grow/advance in their career. |
Try these out, repeat what works, and ditch what doesn’t. And let me know what resonates with you and your people so I can keep this post up to date for any future People Leaders who find it on their journey.
Just remember: leadership is a two-way street. Share your feedback and personal styles to your people and they will open up to share theirs as well. Leading by example requires us to be a little vulnerable but that goes a long way in terms of building trust with your people.
