Warren and I were going out to a party, and I put on an outfit I wasn’t sure about. I asked him how he thought it looked, and he responded that I looked great. I went and changed my outfit anyway.
When I came back out of the bedroom, he was angry and asked me why I asked his opinion if it didn’t matter what he said.
I was watching the news this week as our Provincial Government announced the back to school plans. The head of a Teacher’s Union was furious, saying that the government didn’t listen to the advice the Union had offered on a reasonable “back to school” plan.
Advice and direction are two different things.
[ctt template=”3″ link=”MZ007″ via=”yes” ]Advice and direction are two different things.[/ctt]
I asked Warren’s advice. I just didn’t take his advice. The Provincial Government asked for input, but they didn’t at any point say they were going to follow all the recommendations brought forward.
Have you ever been frustrated that someone hasn’t taken the advice you gave them?
We need to understand the difference between asking for someone’s feedback and advice vs. asking for someone’s direction on what to do.
If I ask my husband for his feedback and I’m going to follow it, I should say something like, “Tell me if I should change this outfit or not, and I will do to what you say.” If I’m just looking for input, I can say, “I’m not sure about this outfit, and I’m just looking for your opinion, not your direction. How does it look?”
When we are looking for employee feedback (such as 360-degree feedback or Return to Work surveys), we need to be clear that we are just looking for input, and input does not necessarily mean it will be applied. I have heard skepticism from employees when asked for feedback. They say, “They never do what I suggest, so why bother?”
[ctt template=”3″ link=”38zU_” via=”yes” ] When someone asks your feedback, don’t get upset if they don’t apply what you suggest. It’s advice, not direction.[/ctt]
That’s because feedback is not direction. When someone asks your feedback, don’t get upset if they don’t apply what you suggest. It’s advice, not direction.
