The Power of Feedback: How Timing & Bias Matter

Feedback is essential for growth, but how it’s delivered and the potential for bias can shape how it’s received. Meet Sarah, who recently received feedback that left her feeling confused and defensive. While two recent issues were addressed, an unrelated incident from months ago—already resolved—was also brought up.

This left Sarah wondering: Is this confirmation bias?

What’s Confirmation Bias? It happens when past incidents are included in feedback to reinforce a belief about someone’s behavior, rather than focusing on the current issue. It can feel like the feedback is looking for a pattern rather than addressing what's happening now.

In Sarah's case:

• Feedback was given on two recent issues, but an older, resolved incident was unnecessarily included.
• The inclusion of the past incident made it seem like the feedback giver was trying to reinforce a belief about Sarah’s behavior, rather than just focusing on the present.

Why is this a problem?

1. Skewed Perspective: The feedback giver may have already formed a belief about Sarah’s behavior and was using past incidents to validate that belief.
2. Defensiveness: Sarah felt defensive because the older issue had been resolved, and it seemed irrelevant to her current performance. What was also surprising was that the feedback giver had never spoken to Sarah then to understand her side of the story.
3. Timing Matters: Feedback should be given as close as possible to when the incident occurs. Including old issues in current feedback can undermine trust, reduce relevance, and make the feedback feel like a judgment of character.

How to Give Better Feedback:

• Keep it timely: Address issues when they happen, not months later.
• Focus on the present: Avoid referencing past, resolved issues unless they’re part of an ongoing pattern.
• Be aware of bias: Don’t let preconceptions shape your feedback.
• Be fair: Listen actively to all sides of the story to better understand what transpired and to draw your own conclusion of where the breakdown took place

Sarah’s story shows how easily feedback can go wrong when it’s not focused, timely, or unbiased. The goal of feedback should always be to encourage growth, not to reinforce negative perceptions. Let’s give feedback that builds trust, motivates improvement, and fosters real change.

#FeedbackMatters #ConfirmationBias #GrowthMindset #LeadershipSkills #WorkplaceImprovement