Feedback Style: One and Doner

Look, I get it. It’s hard to ask for a product and not get exactly what you want on the first try. Unfortunately, our society makes this the standard. If you order a hamburger at a fast food restaurant, you will get a consistent experience. What you don’t see with that quality standard is all the experiments, failures, and creativity that made that hamburger excellent and yummy.

The creative process is muddy. It’s a lot like making pottery. You have to take a raw product, knead it, shape it, fire it, color it, and fire it again. It takes work to make something beautiful. It takes different phases to make it beautiful. A spinning pottery wheel serves a purpose different from that of a hot kiln. But without both of these things, pottery would never have been made.

• Your input in the creative process is necessary and valued. It’s helpful to hear what you like and don’t like about a product.
• Your perspective is appreciated, but it’s not the be-all and end-all. Different processes help shape the final product, from the wheel to the kiln. You are a step along the way to completion.
• Creativity isn’t straightforward. Creativity is about navigating bends and curves to get an idea into its final form.
• Be a helpful guardrail on that road to completion is valued, and it can be your contribution.

To be a Kind Collaborator, point out the areas that make you nervous and the things you love. In addition, share the emotions that the idea is making you feel. These are essential feedback in the process. Feelings are an important part of creativity, not structure and format.

Also, know that creativity and individuality are professional. Life and personality added to work products are valued differentiators. Letting your team show a little personality and life in your products could be the piece that brings more attention to your brand.

Get ready to get your hands dirty – value experiences and viewpoints that differ from yours. Engage in the fun part of creativity.