Impaired vision

i have been told by a lot of people that you shouldn’t say anything about a problem until you have a proposed solution. i find that ignorant; if you don’t have the tools to solve a problem, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t let those who might have the tools know.

if your sinks stop draining properly, you don’t just live with it, because you don’t know how to fix a clog, beyond the basics. you call roto rooter, and have them fix your fucking plumbing. you let the experts know you’ve found a problem, they can work on a solution, even if you might need to pay them for it.

it’s fine to propose a solution with a problem, too. but i want to make it clear that it isn’t, and shouldn’t, be a requirement for providing feedback. if you wait until you can think of a solution, the buildings next door are on fire. you have to act quickly, or the problem will get worse.

‘if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.’ some might use that as an excuse to avoid conflict with negative feedback. i would argue that telling your waitress about poor service or quality is saying something nice. positive or negative, the restaurant is unable to improve without your feedback.

negative feedback is easier to provide, and no less important than positive feedback. positive feedback, however, can be used to drive morale and inspire continued excellence. feedback can be used to inspire people to fix problems you have identified.

the basic point i want to make is; without feedback, people can not improve themselves and they cannot be aware of problems they have failed to spot, without your eyes. if you let someone know they did a good job, you let them know someone cares about what it is that they are doing.

without feedback, we’re lost.