You do not welcome all feedback

Because you have boundaries, darling

“The return of a fraction of an output signal to the input of an earlier stage.”
–Patent GB130432, Improvements in or Relating to Electrical Signalling Systems, 1919

You’re looking some perspective to help you get unstuck. So you slap your baby on the table and declare, “All and any feedback is welcome.” Well friends, that is poppycock. You do not welcome all feedback.

Because you’re the expert. You know which boards are loose already.¹ You don’t need a barrage of sledgehammers testing every wall. You need feedback. A fractional return, from outside the system, back to the source.

To eke signal from the noise, you must fine-tune the process of feedback:

• Establish the scope of work: “I’m not taking feedback on the fins.”

• Highlight the problem to avoid tangents: “I’m stuck on the color.”

• Compel hard choices: “Rank by effectiveness.” Or “Which would you eliminate?”

• Remove preferences altogether. Swap “Do you like it?” with “How well does this acheive {specific goal}?”

If you don’t shape the feedb…