Your manager gives conflicting feedback on your performance. How do you navigate this challenging situation?

Be open to this feedback for what it is: a gift. Seek clarity in the understanding the conflict. Seek to understand both sides: presumably, how you are strong and how you need to grow. Don’t rush to solve. Don’t rush to confront or defend . Seek to understand the problem. Your manager will hopefully be receptive. This is a difficult message to deliver from their end. Try to understand their perspective. You don’t need to agree with it; rather, try to understand it from their view. And again, don’t be confrontational even if you disagree.

Receiving conflicting feedback from your manager can be a confusing and stressful experience, but it also presents an opportunity to grow and clarify expectations. ?? Seek Clarity: The first step in navigating this situation is to seek clarity. Schedule a meeting with your manager to discuss the feedback in detail. Approach the conversation with an open mind, and ask specific questions to understand the reasons behind the conflicting feedback. This shows your willingness to improve and your commitment to meeting expectations. Ensure you leave the conversation with a clear understanding of what’s required of you moving forward.

Seeking clarity and precision are sometimes more of an inner job than external conversations. If the feedback is conflicting, it only means the manager is undecided. Which means you still have an open window to discuss, process and progress. However, if the conflicting messages are just to keep you busy and idle, it's better to decode the managers mindset, attitude and leave it at that. There is no need to probe further and instead it will be a good Idea to focus on core activities.

Cuando las cosas se tornan confusas, lo primero que debes hacer es buscar claridad. Solicitá una reunión con tu gerente para discutir los detalles de su feedback, en pos de poder mejorar tu desempe?o y lograr entendimiento. Es importante que, al hacer esto, evites la trampa de ponerte a la defensiva. Si vas a buscar insights para mejorar, mantené la mente y el corazón abierto a lo que el otro te devuelva. Esto no solo demostrará tu compromiso con el crecimiento personal, sino que también ayudará a tu gerente a articular mejor sus expectativas. Un diálogo sincero y transparente puede cortar de raíz cualquier posible confusión presente, mientras evita potenciales desencuentros futuros.

From my vantage point, navigating conflicting feedback involves seeking clarification on specific concerns and aligning feedback with your goals. Engaging in a constructive dialogue with your manager to understand different perspectives can help reconcile differences. Applying the feedback while demonstrating openness to adjustments fosters mutual understanding and growth.

?? Reflect Honestly: After gaining clarity, take some time to reflect on the feedback you’ve received. Consider how your actions, decisions, or work habits may have contributed to the discrepancies. Honest self-assessment is crucial here—acknowledge areas where you might need to improve, and think about how you can address them. Reflecting on feedback also helps you identify patterns or recurring issues that you might not have noticed before, giving you a clearer path to self-improvement.

?? Document Feedback: It’s important to keep a record of all the feedback you receive, especially when it’s conflicting. Documenting feedback not only helps you track your progress but also provides a reference point if discrepancies arise in the future. Write down the key points discussed during your meeting with your manager and any action items that were agreed upon. This documentation can serve as a guide for your performance and be a useful tool in future performance reviews or discussions.

?? Set Goals: Finally, use the feedback to set clear, actionable goals for yourself. These goals should align with the clarified expectations and address the areas of improvement identified during your reflection. By setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals, you can stay focused on what’s important and demonstrate your commitment to growth. Regularly review and adjust your goals as needed, and communicate your progress with your manager to ensure you’re on the right track.

Habiendo abrazado el feedback, tras eliminar la confusión que existente, tendrás una comprensión mucho más clara respecto a lo que tu compa?ía y gerente esperan de vos. Así, podrás establecer metas que sean tan específicas como medibles respecto a tu performance. Estas deberían, idealmente, girar alrededor de aquellas áreas que requieren de cierto grado de mejora. Hecho esto, es recomendable que establezcas una agenda que te permita verificar tu progreso y realizar ajustes en caso de ser necesario. De esta forma, pondrás fin a cualquier potencial diferencia presente mientras construís una relación profesional sólida en el largo plazo.

Master the 4-Bullet Update. Powerful people are busy. (They might need to remember what they asked you to do.) Give an update with this outline: ? Here's what you asked me to do ? Here's what I did ? Here are the risks/blockers (if any) ? If given more time, I'd do this

In "The One Thing" by Gary Keller, the concept of focusing on the most important tasks to achieve extraordinary results is key. Aligning with your manager on the "one thing" that matters most will keep you both on the same page.

Regular communication is key at all levels - Face To Face discussions - Email Updates - Meet and Eat Informal Chats - Show honesty in discussions

You can use the ‘Procedure or Perception’ Razor to embrace growth. When you receive negative feedback, ask yourself: - Should I change my procedure (actions I take)? - Or should I change my perception (how I interpret the advice)? Avoid constructive feedback from people who’ve never constructed anything.

"Emotional Intelligence 2.0" by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves underscores the importance of managing emotions in professional settings. By staying composed, you can better navigate difficult conversations.